Model-based Design of Reusable Secure Connectors

This paper describes the integration of security and communication patterns in reusable secure connectors that are incorporated in the model-based design of secure distributed component-based software architectures. The secure connectors are designed separately from application components by reusing the appropriate communication pattern between components as well as the security patterns required by these components. Each secure connector is designed as a composite component that encapsulates both security pattern and communication pattern components. Integration of security patterns and communication patterns within a secure connector is enabled by a security coordinator. The main advantage is that secure connectors can be reused in different secure applications.