CC*DNI Integration (Area 4): Application Aware Software-Defined Networks for Secure Cloud Services (SecureCloud)

Marist College, Poughkeepsie NY

Investigators

Abstract

The Application-Aware, Software-Defined Networks for Secure Cloud Services (SecureCloud) project designs and builds an innovative cyberinfrastructure for cloud computing networks and enhancing data security without degrading network performance. SecureCloud is a response to the growth of new, highly sophisticated cybersecurity threats that have accompanied the emergence of cloud computing and placed national cybersecurity infrastructure at risk. Cyber attacks are responsible for a range of recent problems ranging from theft of personal information and interfering with financial transactions to threatening national security and government operations. SecureCloud is studying 1) how to minimize the impact of multi-component malware infiltration and 2) how to improve threat visibility and response time. The project develops, tests, and deploys a fully automated security system that is implemented throughout the cloud infrastructure. The system is prototyped in a software-defined networking (SDN) test bed at Marist College, and first deployed into production across regional and New York State-wide networks. SecureCloud uses SDN to dynamically re-provision network resources in response to impending attacks. The infrastructure includes control of virtual network functions such as virtual router/firewall combinations, traffic flow segregation in metropolitan area networks, and integration of threat intelligence from other data sources using network traffic analytics. The overarching goals are to 1) enable new network functionality to protect networks from malware and denial of service attacks; 2) improve visibility and response time to security threats, 3) quarantine infected computers, and 4) contribute new open source software to the community for integration with a wide range of applications.