5.1.4 Extensibility

The adaptive security management system is independent of the underlying network technology or host operating systems. The central security management service communicates through standard AS-API 1 calls. The back-end processors handle the composition and formatting of the messages to be exchanged with the monitor and decision enforcement applications.

Because of the modular approach, the system can grow to incorporate various security devices, mechanisms and services as the need grows. A security authority is added as a security engine with its associated rule-base; security services and mechanisms are added as security service provision applications; security devices as monitors or decision enforcement applications. The framework can handle:

• perimeter security (network firewalls and routers)
• inside security (host-based security, provision for various security services like confidentiality and integrity, virtual network segmentation, etc.)
• cross-perimeter security (other security services like authentication, key distribution for secure communications, virtual private networking, etc.)

The model is not necessarily constrained to providing support solely for network or computer intrusion detection.