A secure software framework for Measuring Instruments in legal metrology

Measuring instruments tend to be powerful devices, that have adopted general-purpose operating systems to offer the user a broader functionality that is not necessarily restricted towards measurement alone. In this paper, a flexible software system architecture that can be constructed out of freely available open source software is presented which addresses these challenges within the framework of essential requirements laid down in the Measuring Instruments Directive of the European Union. This system architecture tries to eliminate the risks general-purpose operating systems have by wrapping them, together with dedicated applications, in secure sandboxes while supervising the communication between the essential parts and the outside world.