Cross-Domain Document-Based Collaboration in a Multi-Level-Secure Environment Navy SBIR FY2005.1 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2005.1 Topic No.: N05-085 Topic Title: Cross-Domain Document-Based Collaboration in a Multi-Level-Secure Environment Proposal No.: N051-085-1138 Firm: Tresys Technology, LLC 8840 Stanford Blvd. Suite 2100 Columbia, Maryland 21045 Contact: Dan Thomsen Phone: (612) 968-5178 Web Site: www.tresys.com Abstract: The M-DICE technology described here allows for the creation, viewing and editing of multilevel documents using commercial untrusted, unmodified applications such as Microsoft Office. The system applies innovative security engineering techniques to ensure the system can be evaluated at EAL 6. The M-DICE solution balances security, functional and economic requirements. The proposal presents a series of solutions, culminating in giving the user the ability to edit any portion of a multilevel document from what appears to be a single terminal. None of the solutions every require document data to be downgraded. In Phase I we evaluate those solutions to select the solutions most likely to provide the proper balance. Benefits: No security solution is really a viable solution unless it is economically viable. The Navy has outlined a very specific problem that they need a solution for. We strongly believe that high assurance systems are needed to secure critical infrastructure. Unfortunately the commercial market place has been never embraced the extra cost of high assurance. However, the Government market has received a new push for critical infrastructure protection. Whole new markets inside the government are being forced to truly understand security for the first time. These new government markets have established users who simply demand the user environment that they are familiar with. We are confident the M-DICE, approach will allow us to satisfy these markets where no existing commercial product can. This market is large enough to make M-DICE economically viable. Most commercial businesses on the web provide a web interface that provides access to corporate data. By moving the M-DICE technology to a viable commercial platform like Security Enhanced Linux we can take the high assurance software developed for the government and create a viable commercial product that allows for secure collaboration with data stored behind a corporate firewall. Changes and improvements in the commercial version can be folded back into the government version running on the high assurance platform. In summary M-DICE provides customers true separation of data for total security of their sensitive documents. M-DICE allows users to use the commercial applications they are familiar with even though they are untrusted. That is an appealing combination that is a unique market distinguisher. Return