Implementing Security Protocol Monitors

TL;DR

This paper proposes a method to compile attack narrations into executable tests for monitors, enhancing security by enabling detection of malicious protocol executions in cryptographic systems.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to transform attack descriptions into practical monitoring tests for cryptographic protocols.

Findings

Tests can effectively detect malicious protocol executions

Method can be integrated into existing implementations

Enhances security by preventing rogue behaviors

Abstract

Cryptographic protocols are often specified by narrations, i.e., finite sequences of message exchanges that show the intended execution of the protocol. Another use of narrations is to describe attacks. We propose in this paper to compile, when possible, attack describing narrations into a set of tests that honest participants can perform to exclude these executions. These tests can be implemented in monitors to protect existing implementations from rogue behaviour.