TrustBox: A Security Architecture for Preventing Data Breaches

In this paper, a novel approach to prevent accidental or deliberate data breaches is presented. The proposed approach provides platform, network and offline security. Data is categorized as sensitive or insensitive, and the corresponding applications are isolated by using virtualization technology. Data theft or accidental loss is prevented by encrypting virtual hard disks and by introducing a multi-lane network architecture. If no connection to a corporate network is available, an offline mode handles data transfer and encryption. Authentication is managed by applying a biometric feature vector in association with a smart card setup. The approach increases security without disrupting the everyday work routines of users. An implementation based on Virtual Box and Java Card is presented. A performance evaluation of the critical components is provided.