[Info-vax] Why not reimplement SEVMS into x86 OpenVMS?

[Stephen Hoffman]

On 2022-11-16 14:47:56 +0000, Michael C said:

> Offer it free ...
> 
> Would be fast to port ...
> 
> Wouldn't that boost security until other features can be added?

The basic mandatory access control features were likely hauled across 
in the port, as it would be more work and more risk to remove those.

Those in-built features can be enabled (for free) using the CLASS_PROT 
system parameter.

There was add-on tooling that was licensed. That add-on tooling 
replaced many common OpenVMS apps. But who knows what happened to that 
code in the ensuing decades?

More generally, mandatory access controls systems didn't and haven't 
sold in sufficient numbers to bother with, and are impractical for most 
uses.

Data and connections and info more generally can generally flow from 
equal to equal, and upgrade from less to more secure, but in the 
downgrade direction not so much.

Most of the folks that wanted those security features ended up buying 
multiple system-high boxes, rather than trying to buy and run and 
maintain mandatory access controls or multi-level security.

As a foundation for other security enhancement work around adding 
sandboxes and pledges and such, sure, the mandatory access controls 
might help.

For its reuse, the existing design is limited in terms of the numbers 
of secrecy and lowercase-i integrity categories permitted; 64 each.


-- 
Pure Personal Opinion | HoffmanLabs LLC