Lock-Keeper

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Lock-Keeper Appearance

Lock-Keeper is a high-level security solution based on the simple "Physical Separation" idea. It is a hardware-based device and works like a sluice to provide secure data exchange between the physically separated networks. Based on the simple principle that “the ultimate method to secure a network is to disconnect it", the Lock-Keeper can entirely prevent session-based and protocol-based network attacks (i.e. so-called "online attack") by physically isolating your sensitive network from outside intruders.

Both the principle and architecture of Lock-Keeper are quite simple. It does not replace the functionality of the conventional firewall but is generally used in combination with firewall to enhance the security of the protected network. Moreover, other content scanning mechanisms, e.g. anti-virus software, can also be flexibly integrated with Lock-Keeper to prevent some application-level attacks, also referred to as "offline attacks".

The guarantee of the highest-level security, the simplicity of the architecture, and the free scalability of the integrated data checking are the primary strengths of the Lock-Keeper solution. Thanks to these benefits, the Lock-Keeper can totally satisfy the security requirements from most public authorities, national defence institutions or companies with a highly sensitive IT infrastructure, such as energy suppliers, telecommunication companies, transportation companies or air trafﬁc control, etc.

[edit] Lock-Keeper at Hasso Plattner Institute

In September of 2004, the Lock-Keeper project was relocated with Prof. Dr. Christoph Meinel to Hasso Plattner Institute(HPI) where Prof. Meinel was appointed as the new HPI-Director. Later, many new and interesting R&D works, listed as following, are proposed and efficiently performed by the Lock-Keeper team at HPI.

Formalization of the "Physical Separation" concept.
Lock-Keeper Hardware&Software Optimization.
Implementing Lock-Keeper SDE Using Virtual Machine.
Design of new Lock-Keeper applications, e.g. Lock-Keeper Web Services Module.
Secure Database Replication Module through a WS-Based Messaging Framework.
Lock-Keeper-based Online Police Station.
Deployment of Lock-Keeper in Service-Oriented-Architecture.
Research and Development of intelligent gateway device using the Lock-Keeper technology.
Development of the Lock-Keeper Cluster System.
Authentication and access control based on the Lock-Keeper technology.
Performance measurement and comparison between the Lock-Keeper and other similar security solutions.
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[edit] History

Oct. 2002, Prof. Dr. Christoph Meinel and his team at the Institut für Telematik at University of Trier proposed the Lock-Keeper technology, which was patented under the name of "Data Connection Between Two Processors and Process to Transmit Data Between Two Processors" in several countries or districts.
Jan. 2003, the Lock-Keeper concept was remodeled based on the newly proposed "Physical Separation" criteria at the chair of Prof. Meinel at University of Trier. A new universal, extensible and highly efficient SDE (Secure Data Exchange) software was designed and deployed in the Lock-Keeper system.
Sep. 2004, the Lock-Keeper team was relocated with Prof. Dr. Christoph Meinel to Hasso Plattner Institute at the University of Potsdam. There, some new R&D works around Lock-Keeper, e.g. implementing new Lock-Keeper applications, combining Lock-Keeper with other security approaches, such as authentication, access control, and virtual machine, etc, are well-organized and going on successfully.
Jul. 2005, A "License and Know-How-Transfer Contract" on Lock-Keeper between the "Civil-and-National-Security" Dept of Siemens Switzerland and Prof. Dr. Christoph Meinel was signed. Siemens started to produce the Lock-Keeper system.
Jul. 2006, the Lock-Keeper team started the cooperation with Police Brandenburg in Germany. A new Lock-Keeper Bachelor project, named "Entwicklung einer serviceorientierten, Lock-Keeper-geschützten Schnittstelle für die Internetwache der Brandenburger Polizei" was built.
Oct. 2006, Feng Cheng, who is a PhD student of Prof. Dr. Christoph Meinel and the main developer of Lock-Keeper, introduced the project to the German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel on the 1st German National IT-Summit.
Mar. 2007, Lock-Keeper was presented on CeBIT 2007 (Halle 9, Stand B 39) in Hannover, Germany.