OpenLabs Security Laboratory - The Online Security Experiment Platform

Abstract

For experiments to be reproducible, it is important to have a known and controlled environment. This requires isolation from the surroundings. For security experiments, e.g. with hostile software, this is even more important as the experiment can affect the environment in adverse ways. In a normal campus laboratory, isolation can be achieved by network separation. For an online environment, where remote control is essential, separation and isolation are still needed, and therefore the security implications must be considered. In this paper, a way to enable remote experiments is described, where users are given full control over the computer installation. By automating the install procedure and dynamically creating isolated experiment networks, remote users are provided with the tools needed to do experiments in a reproducible and secure environment.