Abstract:
Data retrieval systems process data from many sources, each subject to its own data use policy. Ensuring compliance with these policies despite bugs, mis-configuration, or operator error in a large, complex, and fast evolving system is a major challenge. Thoth provides an efficient, kernel-level compliance layer for data use policies. Declarative policies are attached to the systems' input and output files, key-value tuples, and network connections, and specify the data's integrity and confidentiality requirements.  Thoth tracks the flow of data through the system at coarse-granularity, and enforces policy regardless of bugs, mis-configurations, compromises in application code, or actions by unprivileged operators.  Thoth requires minimal changes to an existing system and has modest overhead, as we show using a prototype Thoth-enabled data retrieval system based on the popular Apache Lucene.

Speaker: Deepak Garg from MPI, Saarbruecken

Time: Monday Sep. 26, 14:00-15:00 in Nygaard 295