SMASH: Modular Security for Mobile Agents TR-UTEDGE-2006-007

Mobile agent systems of the future will be used for secure information delivery and retrieval, off-line searching and purchasing, and even system software updates. As part of such applications, agent and platform integrity must be maintained, confidentiality between agents and the intended platform parties must be preserved, and accountability of agents and their platform counterparts must be stringent. SMASH, Secure Modular Mobile Agent System.H, is an agent system designed using modular components that allow agents to be easily constructed and the system to be easily extended. To facilitate security functionality, the SMASH platform incorporates existing hardware and software security solutions to provide access control, accountability, and integrity. Agents are further protected using a series of standard cryptographic functions. While SMASH promotes high assurance applications, the system also promotes an open network environment, permitting agents to move freely among the platforms and execute unprivileged actions without authenticating. In the remainder of this paper , we elaborate on the components and capabilities of SMASH and present an application that benefits from each of these elements.