Towards an Alternative Way of Verifying Proxy Objects in Jini

Abstract

Jini networking technology represents an exciting paradigm in distributed systems. Its elegant approach in computer networking possesses immense advantages, but also generates security problems. Extensive research has been undertaken and existing security methodologies have been applied to provide a safe execution environment. However the unique nature of Jini has made it hard for traditional security mechanisms to be applied effectively. Part of the problem lies within the downloaded code and in the lack of centralised control. Current solutions are based on assumptions; therefore they are inadequate for enforcing the security requirements of the system. The goal of our research is to increase the security of the Jini model without altering its initial characteristics. We present our preliminary research efforts in providing an alternative, fault tolerant security architecture that uses a trusted local verifier in order to evaluate and certify the correctness of remote calls.