Medusa Security System

[Shivkumar]

Hey Guys,

What is medusa security system on hpux 11i ?

Thanks,
Shiv

[Joseph Loo]

hi shiv,

not sure if is is for hp but u may refer to this site:

[Broken link removed on <4/18/2017> by Mod]

interesting what u get when u google.

hope it helps.

regards.

[KVK]

Hi Shiv,

Couldn't find any information about medusa in docs.hp.com . It could be a third party application for the security system in the Unix/Linux platforms . the only way to find the about the medusaDS9 Google :-)

http://talby.csu.umist.ac.uk/~isd/_unix_security/unix_security_survey.11.html

[Mel Burslan]

Medusa is the home brew security architecture that hp uses on their 1500+ internal hpux servers. Not available to outside hpux customers to the best that I know. It is actually not a product. It is the combination of hodge podge little and big applications which snuck their way into the HP data center at one time and liked so much that powers that be decided to use it on all servers.

If you are inquiring about it because you want to use it, licence it or use it one way or the other and you are not working for HP, might as well forget about it.

[nz_1]

A medical company here uses medusa for their Integrity servers.

[Shivkumar]

Nash; Could you please eloborate in detail what functions it performs ?

Thanks,
Shiv

[Ross Minkov · Accepted solution]

Medusa is an HP-UX Security Auditing Tool. It stands for Master Environment for Detection of Unix System Anomalies. Medusa is only for HP INTERNAL USE.

Regards,
Ross

[Shivkumar]

If you could give some documentation on this it would be great. Thanks.

[Mel Burslan]

Shiv,

As I have previously mentioned, months ago, there is no such product called MEDUSA per se. It is the name of the combination of security related utilities framework used in internal HP IT systems. How I know it ? I contracted to HP for the maximum allowed 2 years term, doing reactive support for HP's internal IT systems. Otherwise, MEDUSA to an outsider is no more than a rumor, hence you most probably will not find any doc.s related to that.

[Indira Aramandla]

Hi Shiv,

Here is some info formt he web.

The Medusa DS9 is a tool, which implements the ZP Security Framework. The main goal of a project is to implement a framework for implementation of any security model. Medusa DS9 consists of two major parts: the VS monitor, implemented in kernel of a operating system, and Security Decision Center implemented as user-space daemon called Constable. Constable is configured using our own configuration language, which is slightly based on C.

Medusa DS9 Security System is a very interesting piece of software. In the Slovak language, ``medusa'' means ``jellyfish''. Like jellyfish, Medusa can sting an enemy with its tentacles. In Greek mythology, Medusa was one of the three Gorgon monsters. Anybody who got a glimpse of her face became petrified.

Medusa is a security system which can extend the overall security of your system. Medusa consists of two parts. The first is a set of small patches to the Linux kernel, and the second is a user-space security dæmon (authorization server) called Constable.
The basic idea behind Medusa is really simple. Before execution of certain operations, the kernel asks the authorization server (Constable) for confirmation. The authorization server then permits, forbids or changes the operation. The authorization server and kernel talk to each other through the special device: /dev/medusa. In this way, an administrator can create his own security model, which can complete or override the original UNIX model. I have told you the principle is simple; however, the actual implementation is a bit complicated. If you are interested in how, see Resources.
In 1995, the authors of Medusa were administrators of university machines. Since there were many users, someone often cracked a machine and used it as a base for nasty activities. Instead of taking part in a never-ending race with crackers and their exploits, they decided to achieve better security in a different way. In 1996, an ancient preliminary version, old Medusa, was born. After more development, a new generation called Medusa DS9 appeared in July 1998.

Indira A