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Open Kernel Labs (OK Labs), the leading global provider of embedded virtualisation software for mobile phones and broadband Internet devices, today announced completion of long-term research and development to provide formal mathematical proof of the correctness of the microkernel technology underlying OKL4, the company’s mobile virtualisation platform. This groundbreaking project involved NICTA, the company’s incubator and investor, OK Labs staff, researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), and other prestigious institutions. Moreover, as commercialisation partner for NICTA, OK Labs will bring the results of the project to market in future generations of mobile virtualisation products.
The project centered on the need to assure extremely high levels of reliability and security in mission-critical domains that include aerospace and transportation. By mathematically proving the correctness of underlying kernel functioning, NICTA and OK Labs pave the way for validating and deploying mobile virtualisation under certification and security regimes like Common Criteria for business-critical applications in mobile telephony, business intelligence, and mobile financial transactions.
“The close partnership between NICTA and OK Labs energises research, development, and commercialisation of innovative technology,” said Steve Subar, president and CEO, OK Labs. “NICTA's groundbreaking research promises to deliver huge benefits to embedded design. We look forward to bringing a secure and verified Microvisor to market in OK Labs virtualisation platforms for mobile OEMs, mobile network operators (MNOs), and IT managers building mobile-to-enterprise applications.”
Formal Verification – Key to Secure and Reliable Software
Existing certification regimes center on software processes and conformance to specifications of models of software. By contrast, the NICTA project actually proves the correctness of the code itself, using formal logic and programmatic theorem-checking. The combination results in unprecedented reliability and security. The verification eliminates a wide range of exploitable errors in the kernel, including design flaws and code-based errors like buffer overflows, null pointer dereference and other point errors, memory leaks and arithmetic overflows, and exceptions.
“The NICTA team has achieved a landmark result which will be a game changer for security- and safety-critical software,” said Gernot Heiser, OK Labs CTO and John Lions Chair of Operating Systems at UNSW. “The verification provides conclusive evidence that bug-free software is possible, and in the future, nothing less should be considered acceptable where critical assets are at stake.”
The project entailed four years of work by NICTA and UNSW researchers. The joint team verified 7,500 lines of source code, proving over 10,000 intermediate theorems in over 200,000 lines of formal proof. The verified code base, the seL4 kernel (“secure embedded L4”), derived from the globally developed and deployed open source L4 project (as did OKL4, the OK Labs mobile virtualisation platform).
The outcome of the project – the seL4 code, theorems, and testing framework – will be transferred from NICTA to OK Labs as part of the ongoing relationship between the two entities. For its part, OK Labs plans to use the NICTA intellectual property for comparable verification of OKL4, for a fully-verified future commercial product.
About NICTA
National ICT Australia Ltd (NICTA), Australia’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Research Centre of Excellence, develops technologies to meet the current and future needs of the community in fields leading to economic, social, and environmental benefits for Australia. Founded in 2002, NICTA has five laboratories around the country, and has created four new companies, developed a substantial technology portfolio, and continues to supply new talent to the ICT industry through PhD programs.
NICTA is funded by the Australian Government as represented by the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy and the Australian Research Council through the ICT Centre of Excellence program. It was established and is supported by its members: The Australian Capital Territory Government; The Australian National University; NSW Department of State and Regional Development; and The University of New South Wales. NICTA’s partners include: the University of Sydney; University of Melbourne; the Victorian Government; the Queensland Government; Griffith University; Queensland University of Technology; and The University of Queensland.
About Open Kernel Labs
Open Kernel Labs (ok-labs.com) is the global leader in open source virtualisation software for mobile devices, consumer electronics, and embedded systems. Backed by the largest, independent team of microkernel developers, the OKL4 Microvisor is deployed on more than 300 million mobile phones worldwide. Semiconductor suppliers, handset OEMs, and mobile network operators depend on OK Labs to deliver high performance solutions that decrease BOM cost, reduce complexity, and speed time-to-market.
Open Kernel Labs, OK Labs and Secure HyperCell™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of Open Kernel Labs or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.
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