Securing Scientific Workflows

This paper investigates security of Kepler scientific workflow engine. We are especially interested in Kepler-based scientific workflows that may operate in cloud environments. We find that (1) three security properties (i.e., input validation, remote access validation, and data integrity) are essential for making Kepler-based workflows more secure, and (2) that use of the Kepler provenance module may help secure Kepler based workflows. We implemented a prototype security enhanced Kepler engine to demonstrate viability of use of the Kepler provenance module in provision and management of the desired security properties.