Countering security threats in service-oriented on-demand grid computing using sandboxing and trusted computing techniques

In this paper, an analysis of security threats within service-oriented on-demand Grid computing environments is presented. The analysis is based on identifying three levels of trust relationships and three types of Grid applications in on-demand computing; the trust relationships involve interactions among resource providers, middleware producers, solution producers, and users. The paper presents solutions for addressing the threats inherent to these three increasingly demanding levels. The solutions involve applying sandbox-based approaches using virtual machine technology and jailing mechanisms to ensure trust for the first two levels of on-demand Grid computing, as well as Trusted Computing Platform Alliance (TCPA) technology for the third level of on-demand Grid computing. A brief taxonomy of the presented solutions is introduced.