GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING TRUSTED FACILITY MANAGEMENT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 1989 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      NATIONAL COMPUTER SECURITY CENTER

 

                        NCSC-TG-O15

                                Library No. S-231, 429

 

 

             FOREWORD

 

The National Computer Security Center (NCSC) has established an aggresive

program to study and implement computer security technology and to

encourage the widespread availability to trusted computer operations.  To

provide insight into the Trusted Computer Systems Evaluation Criteria

(TCSEC) and to assure that each feature of the TCSEC will be discussed in

detail and provide the proper interpretation with specific guidance, the

NCSC has established a Technical Guideline Program   This Technical

Guideline Program, and the cooperative business relationship being forged

with the computer and telecommunication industries, will result in the

fulfillment of our country's computer security requirement.  We are

determined to meet the challenge of identifying trusted computer

guidelines suitable for use in processing all types and classifications of

information.

 

"A Guide to Understanding Trusted Facility Management" is the latest in

the series of technical guidelines that are being published by the

National Computer Security Center.  This technical guideline has been

written to help the computer security manufacturers, system evaluators,

accreditors, as well as end users understand what procedures, methods, and

processes are required for trusted facility management at B2 through A1

classes ofthe TCSEC.

 

As the Director, National Computer Security Center, I invite your

recommendations for revision to this technical guideline.  We plan to

review this document periodically or when the need arises.

 

 

 

_______________

Patrick R. Gallagher Jr.                       15 August 1989

Director

National Computer Security Center

 

 

                   ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 

Special recognition for their contributions to this document are extended

to Info Systems Technology, Inc., and to Dr. Virgil D. Gligor of the

University of Maryland as primary author of this document, and to Ms.

Valerie A. Maurer and MAJ James P. Gordon (U S Army) as Project Managers

for the production and preparation of this guideline.

 

Acknowledgment is given to the many computer vendor representatives, and

members of the National Computer Security Center (NCSC) community, who

enthusiastically gave of their time and technical expertise in reviewing

the guideline and providing valuable comments and suggestions.  Special

thanks is given to Ms. Carol Lane, Mr. Leon Howell and Mr. Douglas Hardie

for their invaluable assistance and guidance in this effort.

 

 

                   PREFACE

 

This guideline contains information derived from the requirements of the

TCSEC prefaced by the word "shall", and recommendations derived from good

practices prefaced by the word "should" when conducting trusted facility

management.  The recommendations in this document are also not to be

construed as supplementary requirements to the TCSEC.  The TCSEC is the

only metric against which systems are to be evaluated.

 

Throughout this guideline there will be examples, illustrations, or

citations of administrative roles and operations that have been used in

trusted facility management.  The use of these examples, illustrations,

and citations does not mean that they contain the only acceptable

procedures, methods, or processes.  The selection of these examples is

based solely on their availability in the computer security literature. 

Examples in this document are not to be construed as the only

implementations that will satisfy the TCSEC requirements or intended to

single out any particular operating system to highlight weaknesses and

shortfalls, but merely to provide clarification.  The examples are

suggestions of appropriate implementations.

 

 

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

      FOREWORD    i

 

 

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS   ii

 

 

      PREFACE     iii

 

 

1.  INTRODUCTION  1

 

      1.1.  PURPOSE     1

 

      1.2.  SCOPE 2

 

      1.3.  CONTROL OBJECTIVES     3

 

 

 

2.  SECURITY ADMINISTRATION - THE PROBLEM      4

 

 

 

3.  TCSEC REQUIREMENTS FOR TRUSTED FACILITY MANAGEMENT     5

 

      3.1.  REQUIREMENTS FOR SECURITY CLASS B2 5

 

            3.1.1.  Security Policy 5

 

            3.1.2.  Accountability  5

 

            3.1.3.  Operational Assurance 5

 

                  3.1.3.1.  System Architecture 5

 

                  3.1.3.2.  Trusted Facility Management    6

 

            3.1.4.  Life-Cycle Assurance 6

 

                  3.1.4.1.  Security Testing   6

 

                  3.1.4.2.  Design Specification and Verification

                                         6

     

                  3.1.4.3.  Configuration Management 7

 

            3.1.5.  Documentation   7

 

                  3.1.5.1.  Trusted Facility Manual  7

 

                  3.1.5.2.  Test Documentation 8

 

                  3.1.5.3.  Design Documentation     8

 

      3.2.  REQUIREMENTS FOR SECURITY CLASS B3 9

 

            3.2.1.  Security Policy 9

 

            3.2.2.  Accountability  9

 

            3.2.3.   Operational Assurance     9

 

                  3.2.3.1.  System Architecture 9

 

                  3.2.3.2.  Trusted Facility Management    9

 

                  3.2.3.3.  Trusted Recovery   11

 

            3.2.4.  Life-Cycle Assurance 11

 

                  3.2.4.1.  Security Testing   11

 

                  3.2.4.2.  Design Specification and Verification

11

     

                  3.2.4.3.  Configuration Management 11

 

            3.2.5.  Documentation   11

 

                  3.2.5.1.  Trusted Facility Manual  11

 

                  3.2.5.2.  Test Documentation 11

 

                  3.2.5.3.  Design Documentation     11

 

      3.3.  REQUIREMENTS OF SECURITY CLASS A1  12

 

            3.3.1.  Additional Life-Cycle Assurance Requirements 12

 

                  3.3.1.1.  Configuration Management 12

 

                  3.3.1.2.  Trusted Distribution     12

 

 

 

4.  SATISFYING THE TCSEC REQUIREMENTS    13

 

      4.1.  SEPARATION OF ADMINISTRATOR AND OPERATOR 13

 

            4.1.1.  Security-Relevant Functions of the System

                  Administrator 16

 

            4.1.2.  Security-Relevant Functions of the Operator 17

 

      4.2.  SEPARATION OF SECURITY AND NONSECURITY-RELEVANT FUNCTIONS 17

 

      4.3.  IMPACT OF OTHER TCSEC REQUIREMENTS 19

 

5.  SEPARATION OF OPERATOR'S AND ADMINISTRATOR'S ROLES     21

 

      5.1.  FUNCTIONS OF THE SECURITY ADMINISTRATOR  24

 

      5.2.  FUNCTIONS OF THE SECURE OPERATOR   30

 

      5.3.  FUNCTIONS OF THE ACCOUNT ADMINISTRATOR   31

 

      5.4.  FUNCTIONS OF THE AUDITOR     32

 

      5.5.  FUNCTIONS OF THE OPERATOR    36

 

      5.6.  FUNCTIONS OF THE SYSTEM PROGRAMMER 37

 

      5.7.  OTHER ROLES 38

 

      5.8.  RELATIONSHIP AMONG ADMINISTRATIVE ROLES  39

 

 

 

6. IMPACT OF OTHER TCSEC REQUIREMENTS    42

 

      6.1.  SECURITY POLICY   42

 

      6.2.  ACCOUNTABILITY    43

 

      6.3.  ASSURANCE   44

 

            6.3.1.  Operational Assurance 44

 

            6.3.2.  Life-Cycle Assurance 46

 

      6.4.  DOCUMENTATION     46

 

 

 

            GLOSSARY    47

 

 

            REFERENCES  58

 

 

 

 

LIST OF FIGURES

 

      Figure 1.   Required Class B2 Separation of Functions,

            Privileges,and Databases                 16

 

      Figure 2.  Required Class B2 and Class B3 Separation

             of Functions, Privileges, and Databases of

             Administrative Roles              19

 

      Figure 3.  Recommended Separation of Functions, Privileges, and

             Databases of Administrative Roles       23

 

      Figure 4.  Relationships Among Administrative Roles 41

 

 

 

 1.  INTRODUCTION

 

The principal goal of the National Computer Security Center is to

encourage the widespread availability of trusted computer systems.  In

support of that goal a metric was created, the DoD Trusted Computer System

Evaluation Criteria (TCSEC), against which computer systems could be

evaluated for security.  The TCSEC was originally published on 15 August

1983 as CSC-STD-001-83.  In  December 1985 the DoD adopted it, with a few

changes, as a DoD Standard, DoD 5200.28-STD.  DoD Directive 5200.28,

"Security Requirements for  Automated Information Systems (AISs)", has

been written, among other reasons, to require the Depart*ment of Defense

Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria be used throughout the DoD. 

The TCSEC is the standard used for evaluating the effectiveness of

security controls built into AISs.  The TCSEC is divided into four

divisions:  D, C, B, and A, ordered in a hierarchical manner with the

highest division (A) being reserved for systems providing the best

available level of assurance.  Within divisions C , B, and A, there are

subdivisions known as classes, which are also ordered in a hierarchical

manner to represent different levels of security. 

 

        1.1.  PURPOSE 

 

      An important assurance requirement of the TCSEC, which appears in

all classes from B2 to A1, is trusted facility management.  This refers to

the administrative procedures, roles, functions (e.g., commands, programs,

interfaces), privileges and databases that are used for secure system

configuration, administration and operation.

 

      The objective of trusted facility management is to support

security and accountability policies throughout a system's operation.  To

accomplish this goal, two key requirements are the separation between

Administrator and Operator functions, in class B2, and between

security-relevant and nonsecurity-relevant functions of System

Administrators, in class B3.  This separation of administrative and

operator functions, and security-relevant and nonsecurity-relevant

functions of System Administrators, also applies to class A1.  These

separations help ensure that security-adverse effects of human error,

misdeed, and system failure do not affect administrative functions and

data.

 

      The purpose of "A Guide to Understanding Trusted Facility

Management" is to provide guidance to manufacturers on how to incorporate

functions of trusted facility management into their systems; to system

evaluators and accreditors on how to evaluate the design and

implementation of trusted facility management functions; and to end users

on how to use these functions effectively, e.g., on how to avoid common

pitfalls of system management.

 

        1.2.  SCOPE 

 

      The guidelines for trusted facility management presented herein

refer to the separation of administrative functions, interfaces, and

procedures of an important assurance requirement of classes B2 through A1

of the TCSEC.  This guideline is intended to present the issues involved

in the design of trusted facility management.

 

      This guideline contains five.additional sections.  Section 2

contains a brief overview of the inherent vulnerabilities of

administrative roles.  Section 3 presents TCSEC requirements that affect

the design and implementation of trusted facility management functions,

and includes recommendations corresponding to each evaluation class. 

Section 4 reviews the major requirements of trusted facility management as

stated in the TCSEC.  Section 5 presents the separation between

Administrator's and Operator's functions and the possible partitioning of

the security-relevant functions of the Administrator and Operator into

separate roles, functions and databases.  Section 6 discusses the impact

of the other TCSEC requirements on trusted facility management, including

design and modeling alternatives for trusted facility management.

 

      Not addressed herein are personnel security measures, physical

security of the automated information system  equipment, and other

administrative measures external to the AIS.  The evaluation of these

measures is beyond the scope of TCSEC-based evaluations [12, p.87].  These

guidelines apply to computer systems, processing environments,  and

products built or modified with the intention of satisfying the TCSEC

requirements.  Note that this document contains suggestions and

recommendations derived from TCSEC objectives but which are not required

by the TCSEC.  Additional recommendations are made, which are derived from

the stated objectives of the TCSEC.

 

        1.3.  CONTROL OBJECTIVES 

 

      Trusted facility management is one of the areas of operational

assurance.  As such, the trusted facility management is an aspect of the

objective, "assurance."  The assurance objective provided in the TCSEC is:

 

            "Systems that are used to process classified or other

sensitive information must be designed to guarantee correct and accurate

interpretation of the security policy and must not distort the intent of

that policy.  Assurance must be provided that correct implementation and

operation of the policy exists throughout the system's life cycle."

 

      This objective affects trusted facility management in two

important ways.  First, administrative roles of the system are the key

components that help to ensure the enforcement of the system security

policy, and thus, their function must support the intent of that policy. 

Second, the administrative roles must satisfy the life-cycle assurance

requirements of correct implementation and operation.

 

 2.  SECURITY ADMINISTRATION - THE PROBLEM 

 

Weaknesses of trusted facility management are role specific and common to

all administrative roles.  Careful examination of both common

administrative roles and role-specific weaknesses is important for both

system designers and administrators because exposure to some of these

weaknesses can be reduced or eliminated by specific designs or by

administrative procedure external to the system in use.  The distinction

between the two types of weaknesses is also useful for the strengthening

of mechanisms and procedures supporting different roles selectively.

 

The weaknesses discussed below are generic in the sense that they are not

specific to any particular system or design.  Careful analysis should be

performed in designing and implementing specific systems to identify

specific additional weaknesses and their required countermeasures. 

Design, implementation, and use of auto*mated tools for analyzing specific

system weaknesses are useful, but still a research subject [1].

 

Three types of weaknesses affect all administrative roles to various

degrees:

 

            (1) unauthorized modification of hardware and software

system configuration Unauthorized changes of system configuration, including

both hardware and software changes, can take place during all phases of a

system life-cycle.

 

            (2)   penetration of a specific administrative role. 

Penetration of administrative roles by non-administrative users, or by

unauthorized administrative users, is usually made possible by flawed, or

weak, mechanisms for identification and authentication, TCB protection, or

role separation.

 

            (3)   misuse of administrative authority.  This can

arise from careless or deliberate misuse of administrative authority. 

Misuse of authority can cause both TCB and user security violations, and

therefore can lead to extensive damage.

 

 

 3.  TCSEC REQUIREMENTS FOR TRUSTED FACILITY MANAGEMENT

 

In the TCSEC, n requirements for Trusted Facility Management are for

security classes B2 through A1.  Classes C1 through B1 have no Trusted

Facility Management requirements.

 

        3.1.  REQUIREMENTS FOR SECURITY CLASS B2 

 

               3.1.1.  Security Policy  

 

            No Additional Requirements.

 

               3.1.2.  Accountability  

 

            All identification and authentication requirements of

class B2, including trusted path, shall apply to the administrative users

individually.

 

            All actions of administrative users shall be auditable in

accordance with the B2 audit requirements.

 

               3.1.3.  Operational Assurance  

 

                      3.1.3.1.  System Architecture

                  The TCB programs and data structures

implementing administrative functions:

 

                  * must satisfy the modularity requirements of

class B2;

 

                  * must satisfy the least privilege principle;

 

                  * must use logically distinct storage objects

with separate attributes (e.g., files, segments).

 

                  The interfaces of the administrative roles

implemented by the TCB must be completely defined, and all the elements of

 

 

the TCB implementing the administrative roles must be identified.

 


 

                      3.1.3.2.  Trusted Facility Management

 

                  The TCB shall support separate Operator and

Administrator functions.  The Administrator's functions include those of:

 

                             * the Security Administrator

 

                             * System Programmer

 

                             * the Auditor

 

                             * the Account Administrator

(whenever this role is defined to be security-relevant).

 

These functions must be separated from those of the Secure Operator. 

While the Administrator's functions may be combined into one function, we

recommend they be separated as described in section 5.   The remaining

functions include only the nonsecurity-relevant functions.

 

               3.1.4.  Life-Cycle Assurance  

 

                      3.1.4.1.  Security Testing   

 

                  All security testing requirements of class B2

apply to the TCB functions and interfaces implementing administrative

roles as stated.

 

                      3.1.4.2.  Design Specification and

Verification   

 

                  Recommendation:

 

                             -Descriptive Top-Level

Specifications (DTLSs) of the TCB functions and interfaces implementing

administrative roles must be maintained that completely and accurately

describe these functions and interfaces in terms of exceptions, error

messages, and effects.

                             -A formal security and

integrity model of trusted facility management should be used to define the

separation of administrative roles, functions, privileges and databases.

 

                      3.1.4.3.  Configura*tion Manage*ment   

 

                  All configuration management requirements of

class B2 apply to the TCB functions and interfaces implementing administrative

roles as stated.

 

               3.1.5.  Documentation  

 

                      3.1.5.1.  Trusted Facility Manual   

 

                  A manual shall be available that provides the

following:

 

                             * be addressed to the ADP

system administrator shall present cautions about functions and privileges

that should be controlled when running a secure facility.

 

                             * give procedures examining

and maintaining the audit files.

 

                             * give the detailed audit

record structure for each type of audit event.

 

                              * describe the operator and

administrator functions related to security, to include changing the security

characteristics of a user.

 

                             * provide guidelines on the

consistent and effective use of the protection features of the system.

 

                             * explain how the protection

features of the system interact.

 

                             * show how to securely

generate a new TCB.

 

                             * provide guidelines on

facility procedures, warinings, and privileges that need to be controlled in

order to operate the facility in a secure manner.

 

                             * identify the TCB modules

that contain the reference validation mechanism.

 

                             * describe the procedures

for secure generation of a new TCB from source after modification of any

modules in the TCB.

 

                      3.1.5.2.  Test Documentation   

 

                  All test documentation requirements of class B2,

except those for covert channel testing, apply to the TCB functions and

interfaces implementing administrative roles as stated.

 

                      3.1.5.3.  Design Docu*menta*tion   

 

                  Documentation shall be available that provides a

description of:

 

                  *     Interfaces between the TCB modules

implementing functions of the administrative roles;

 

                  * Specific TCB protection mechanisms used for

the separation of administrative roles;

 

                  *     Descriptions of the TCB modules

implementing functions and interfaces of the administrative roles;

 

                  *     How the least privilege principle is

supported by the functions and interfaces of the TCB implementing

administrative roles;

 

                  *     How the actions of the administrative

roles are audited.

 

                  Recommendation:

 

      -A formal description of the security and integrity policy model

used to define the separation of administrative roles should be available

and proven to be sufficient to enforce the claimed separation.

        3.2.  REQUIREMENTS FOR SECURITY CLASS B3 

 

      All the requirements of Class B2 are included at this level.  The

additional class B3 requirements are listed below.

 

               3.2.1.  Security Policy  

 

            No Additional Requirements.

 

               3.2.2.  Accountability  

 

            The trusted-path requirements of class B3 apply to

administrative users.

 

            The additional audit requirements of class B3 apply to the

administrative users.

 

               3.2.3.   Operational Assurance  

 

                      3.2.3.1.  System Architecture   

 

                  The additional TCB structuring requirements of

class B3 (i.e., significant use of abstraction, information hiding, and

layering) apply to the functions and interfaces of the TCB implementing

administrative roles.

 

                      3.2.3.2.  Trusted Facility Management   

 

                  The security-relevant administrative functions

(i.e., those of the Security Administrator, System Programmer, Auditor and

the Secure Operator's roles defined above) must be separated from the

nonsecurity-relevant administrative functions.   

 

                  The security-relevant administrative functions

must be limited to those that are essential to performing the security

roles effectively.

 

                  All actions of security personnel (Secure

Administrator and Secure Operator) must be audited.

 

 

 

                  Recommendations:

 

                  - The functions of security administration and

personnel should distinguish among

 

                                   * System

Programmer, Security Administrator, Auditor, and Secure Operator

 

                                   * their privileges

 

                                   * their databases.

 

                  - Different levels of trust should be

established for the following roles in accordance with the power and

vulnerability of each role:

 

                        * System Programmer (maintenance and

diagnostics mode);

 

                        *     Security Administrator;

 

                        *     Auditor;

 

                        *     Secure Operator;

 

                        *     Account Administrator;

 

                        *     Operator.

 

                  (Note: The distinction between the System

Administrators, Operators, and System Security Officers is explicitly made

in the audit requirements of the TCSEC [11, p. 16].  These roles

correspond to the Account Administrator, Secure/Normal Operator, and

Security Administrator/Auditor roles above.  Also note that these

distinctions do not require the separation of security-relevant and

nonsecurity-relevant functions as they are made in the audit -- not

trusted facility management -- requirement area).

 

                      3.2.3.3.  Trusted Recovery   

 

                  The trusted recovery requirement of class B3

applies to the functions and interfaces of the TCB implementing

administrative roles.

 

               3.2.4.  Life-Cycle Assurance  

 

                      3.2.4.1.  Security Testing   

 

                  All additional security testing requirements of

class B3 apply to the functions and interfaces of the TCB implementing

administrative roles.

 

                      3.2.4.2.  Design Specification and

Verification

 

                  Recommendation:

 

                             - The additional design

specification and verification requirements of class B3 should be applied to

the functions and interfaces of the TCB implementing administrative roles.

 

                      3.2.4.3.  Configuration Management   

 

                  No Additional Requirements.

 

               3.2.5.  Documentation  

 

                      3.2.5.1.  Trusted Facility Manual   

 

                  The additional requirements shall include

procedures to ensure that the system is initially started in a secure

state and procedures to resume secure system operation after any lapse in

system operation.

 

                      3.2.5.2.  Test Documentation   

 

                  No Additional Requirements.

 

                      3.2.5.3.  Design Docu*menta*tion   

 

                  No Additional Requirements.

 

        3.3.  REQUIREMENTS OF SECURITY CLASS A1 

 

      All requirements of the security class B3 are included here.  The

only additional requirements are in the following "Life-Cycle Assurance"

areas:

 

               3.3.1.  Additional Life-Cycle Assurance Requirements 

 

 

                      3.3.1.1.  Configuration Management   

 

                  All additional configuration management

requirements of class A1 apply to the TCB functions and interfaces

implementing administrative roles.

 

                      3.3.1.2.  Trusted Distribu*tion   

 

                  All trusted distribution requirements of class

A1 apply to the TCB functions and interfaces implementing administrative

roles.

 

 4.  SATISFYING THE TCSEC REQUIREMENTS

 

      The principal requirements of trusted facility management are:

 

                  * the separation of Operator and Administrator

functions;

 

                  * the logical (or physical) separation of the

database information corresponding to those functions; and

 

                  * the implementation of least privilege such

that functions have only the minimum necessary privileges to the databases.

 

 

        4.1.  SEPARATION OF ADMINISTRATOR AND OPERATOR FUNCTIONS

 

      The separation of Administrator and Operator functions is a

requirement of TCSEC class B2, which states:

 

            "The TCB shall support separate Operator and Administrator

functions."

 

      The primary purpose behind the separation of the Operator and

Administrator functions is to limit the potential damage that untrusted,

or errant, code can inflict on the information the TCB uses to enforce the

security policy.  Any code executed with Operator or Administrator

privileges has the ability to change the TCB data structures, thus

affecting the enforcement of policy.  Through the application of the

principal of least privilege and the separation of Operator and

Administrator functions so that they are prevented from executing

untrusted code, the TCB data structures can be protected.  The principle

of least privilege requires that each subject be granted the most

restrictive set of privileges needed for the specific task.  In the case

of the operator and administrator functions, the privileges need to be

established at a low level of granularity so that the proceses that

implement those functions do not have unnecessary privileges.  This low

level of granularity provides several important protections:

 

                  * limits the effects of errors on the part of

the administrator;

 

                  * limits the effects of incorrect code which

implements the administrator functions;

 

                  * provides some protection against malicious

administrators, in that damage that can be done is strictly contained to the

provileges defined for that role.  Some additional protection is afforded by

the auditing of administrator actions.  (This argument can be extended to

malicious code which is inserted in the administrator functions.)

 

      The TCSEC recognizes the need to separate the operator and

adminstrator functions from the normal user abilities to execute code. 

There are several ways to implement such separation.  One way is to

enforce those restrictions on the Administrator and Operator functions. 

They can only execute trusted code that has been shown to preserve the TCB

data structures properly.  This requires that the people who perform those

functions also have a separate account that allows them to be a normal

user.  That separate account would not have any Operator or Administrator

capabilities.  Whatever approach to separation is selected, it must be

shown to restrict the Operator or Administrators from executing untrusted

code.

 

      The separation of Operator and Administrator functions, namely

between the commands, programs, and interfaces implementing those

functions, is important because these functions are used with different

privileges, on different system data.  Should these functions not be

separated, Operators could use commands that include Administrators'

privileges and databases.  This would mean that all Operators would need

to be trusted to the same degree as that needed for Administrators.  It

would also mean that the principles of least privilege and separa*tion of

privilege, which are two of the most important security principles (see

reference [18] for a further explanation of these principles), are

violated, overexposing the system to error, failure, and misdeed. 

Furthermore, lack of functional separation would fail to confine the

effects of any function penetration, leaving the entire system in a

vulnerable state.

 

      In addition to the separation of Administrator and Operator

functions, trusted facility management should also separate internal

system databases which the Operator and Administrator manipulate.  Checks

and balances are necessary to avoid trusting too many all-powerful

Administrators.  The identification of the security-relevant, internal

system databases and the correlation between each function and the

corresponding database shall be carefully performed and documented.  The

separation of Operator's and Administrator's functions shall also lead to

the separation of accessible objects and of access privileges to shared

databases.  This is an essential design requirement for the enforcement of

the least privilege principle within the TCB because it helps identify and

eliminate unnecessary Operator access to administrator data.  For example,

the Administrator has full access to system databases that need not be

fully accessible to the Operator; i.e., the Administrator has Read/Write

privileges to some (shared) databases, such as the system security

profile, for which the Operator only needs Read privileges.  Thus, the

Write privilege of the Operator to these databases would be eliminated. 

Also, because these databases are separate, consistency checks may be

derived from the security-relevant databases of the Administrator and

applied to the security-relevant functions of the Operator.  This would

increase the robustness of the administrative functions of the system and,

implicitly, its usefulness.

 

      Figure 1 illustrates both the separation of function and of

privileges/databases for class B2.  Note, although the functions of the

Operator and Administrator are completely separated, the Administrator's

privileges include those of the Operator in the sense that the

Administrator can always get access to all Operator functions, databases,

and privileges.  For example, an Administrator can always log in as an

Operator and perform Operator functions.  In contrast, the Operator cannot

get access to functions, databases, and privileges that are exclusively

the Administrator's.  Note, this hierarchical relationship of roles is a

functional hierarchy.  The system could provide a "flat" set of roles,

functions and privileges, and the hierarchy could be managed

administratively.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

               4.1.1.  Security-Relevant Functions of the System

Administrator

 

            The security-relevant functions of the System

Administrator include those that:

 

                  * Define and change the user security

characteristics and those of the system security data (e.g., user identifier,

user's group identifiers, user/group maximum security level; and the

maximum/minimum security level of the system data, the maximum/minimum

security level of each file system).

 

                  * Define and change the system's security

characteristics (e.g., security level limits of multilevel channels, I/O

processors, communication lines, and devices; all possible level changes of

single level devices).

 

                  * Perform system programming functions; (e.g.,

trusted system configuration in accordance with the configuration management

policy, system distribution, system installation, TCB code maintenance that

may affect system configuration, distribution and installation).

 

                  * Perform audit functions (e.g., determine what

events should be audited, manage the audit trail, analyze the audit trail,

produce audit reports).

 

               4.1.2.  Security-Relevant Functions of the Operator  

 

            The security-relevant functions of the Operator include

those that:

 

                        * Enable and disable peripheral

devices, make changes to the device security characteristics within the limits

defined by the Administrator (e.g., the Operator sets the level of a

single-level device within the range defined by the Administrator).

 

                        * Control the mounting of file systems

and load labeled disk packs and tape reels on appropriate drives.

 

                        * Recover user files following system

crashes.

 

                        * Handle printed output.

 

                        * Perform maintenance operations on

user databases and routine maintenance of TCB databases.

 

                        * Boot up and shut down the system.

 

 

        4.2.      SEPARATION OF SECURITY AND NONSECURITY-RELEVANT FUNCTIONS

 

 

      The second requirement of the trusted facility management is to

identify, audit, and separate the security-relevant functio