Military Message Handling System

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1 Military Message Handling System HFIA, KJELLER 8 SEP 2017 Bengt R. Kristiansen, Øyvind Jonsson

2 MMHS used in HF networks

3 Minimum Military Requirements Built-in support for priority and security Should be designed-in from the start Access control Security evaluated Guaranteed delivery, supervised by the system All messages must be accounted for May need Traffic Operators to handle delivery problems Support military workflow Drafter/Releaser roles Organizational messaging Automatic distribution 3

Messaging standards ACP 127 still needed for many years Communication with submarines and surface ships Communication with NATO (AIFS) STANAG 4406 defined by NATO as the MMHS standard Transported

4 Messaging standards ACP 127 still needed for many years Communication with submarines and surface ships Communication with NATO (AIFS) STANAG 4406 defined by NATO as the MMHS standard Transported between end-users All participating entities understand semantics (e.g. priority) STANAG 4406 designed to handle ACP 127 elements/procedures Strategic and tactical (PMUL, DMP) versions SMTP needed (e.g. BFEM), but does not fully support military messaging RFC 6477 can map attributes to header fields, but no network service Clients are allowed to discard «unknown» header fields 4

5 HF-related requirements Store-and-forward needed for handling several waveforms E.g. adaptive data rate E.g. unreliable or slow links Must handle unidirectional channels (e.g. broadcast, EMCON) PMUL (STANAG 4406 Annex E, ACP 142) retransmission strategy Must handle slow channels (currently bit/s) Vital to reduce overhead (screening, vetting etc) Must adapt to specifics of cryptos/modems/medium Long turnaround delays due to interleaving, frame structure and some radios Flow control issues Crypto sync 5

6 The XOmail MMHS products

7 The XOmail Product Family - Overview A complete messaging solution for the modern cyber defence 7 components sharing a common core 7

8 XOmail Core characteristics (1) Common platform for all XOmail products Kernel functions do not depend on 3rd-party components - End-of-life insurance - Evaluation and enhancement possible Moderate hardware requirements (allowing cheaper hw) - "If it runs Windows, it runs XOmail" Built as a secure system Designed and built with military and security functionality from the start All objects have security labels, all subjects have clearance - Controlled access Built-in priority handling Internal queues, external connections 8

9 XOmail Core characteristics (2) Integrated, secure Electronic Mail for the professional user Official messaging (Organization to Organization) Configurable (Person to Person) Formal message handling All messages entered into a Journal Messages can be archived for later inspection All users are given a specific security clearance All users are given specific access rights PKI integration Distribution Rules DEP-A Info From MTA Central Archive Action DEP-B Action Industry-standard interfaces (PKCS #11) Integrated with several PKI products USER 1 USER 2 USER 3 USER 4 9

10 The XOmail product family members XOmail Military Messaging Advanced solution for headquarters and tactical cells XOmail Client Military messaging tool XOmail Admin Management tool XOmail ACP 127 Gateway Connecting legacy systems XOmail SMTP Gateway Connecting to systems XOmail Broadcaster Exchanging messages with ships and submarines XOmail Afloat Military messaging on board XOmail Central Archive Archival and retrieval solution XOmail ACP 145 Gateway Connecting to other nations XOmail Guard (2018) High assurance security gateway 10

11 XOmail Broadcaster XOmail Broadcaster product Extensive protocol support - Legacy protocols, ACP 127/176 - STANAG 4406 incl Annex E (e.g. SATCOM) - STANAG 5066, BFEM (SMTP) BRASS functionality - Surface/submarine broadcast - Screening, vetting, re-runs, schedules etc - Traffic lists, status messages - Ship-Shore, MRL BRASS EO functionality - Modernized protocol suite (e.g. PMUL) - Tactical directory 11

Re-broadcast Tactical Directory Connectivity to NATO and partners STANAG 4406

12 XOmail Afloat Submarine and surface 12 Main functions Broadcast reception Ship/shore and ship/ship - Maritime Rear Links - Channel status (CARB) monitor - Re-broadcast Tactical Directory Connectivity to NATO and partners STANAG 4406 Connections Full set of XOmail services Workflow functions, Management, Directory integration etc

Security evaluation Security evaluation of XOmail product family Previous certificate applied to XOmail 14.2.

13 Security evaluation Security evaluation of XOmail product family Previous certificate applied to XOmail (on Windows 2003) - This version is past end-of-life due to Windows version CC EAL 4 evaluation of XOmail gen 21 complete Certificate expected Sep-Oct

14 Activities with NATO NATO Information Assurance Product Catalogue (NIAPC) XOmail family products on NIAPC list - NATO Approved Fielded Product List (AFPL) XOmail 20 tested in Oct 2016 for entry to AFPL for a NS system - Results not yet available XOmail 21 to be tested in 2017 for entry to AFPL for another NS system NATO Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) In place Q Applies to all XOmail product family members Includes on-demand services 14

15 Experience

16 Experience with STANAG 4406 (1) Current XOmail users Norway - National strategic MMHS - Broadcast centre (HF and VLF using ACP 127) - Afloat under deployment (surface and submarine) - Tactical MMHS Denmark - National strategic MMHS Netherlands - National strategic MMHS - Broadcast centre (HF) Italy - Air Force strategic MMHS - Joint strategic MMHS to be deployed 16

17 Experience with STANAG 4406 (2) Current XOmail users (cont) Spain - National strategic MMHS under deployment - Broadcast centre planned - Afloat under consideration NATO - Part of ACCS (ACP 127 and SMTP Gateways) - Part of BRASS Poland (ACP 127 Gateway) Interoperability testing Successfully tested towards other vendors Successfully tested over multiple bearers - LAN, SATCOM, HF/VHF 17

18 Using STANAG 4406 over HF (1) In use at broadcast centres in Norway and the Netherlands Submarine communications MRL circuits (BRASS type circuits using ACP 127) Exercise/operation use with Norwegian Army HF/VHF circuits Tested with several waveforms (and several modems/radios) STANAG 5030 STANAG 5066 (IP client) STANAG 4538/4539 STANAG

19 Using STANAG 4406 over HF (2) Strategic protocols unsuitable Too many handshakes (changes of direction) Too much overhead Point-to-point only Tactical protocols (PMUL and DMP) well suited Allow unidirectional channels (EMCON) Connectionless, few handshakes Low overhead (strategic around 2500 byte, PMUL around 600 byte, DMP around 20 byte) PMUL designed for multicast/broadcast in addition to unicast DMP designed for unicast, allows multicast Error correction needed (ARQ or FEC) 19

20 Using STANAG 4406 over HF (3) ACP 133 Directory Service Regular protocols (X.500, LDAP) unsuited for disadvantaged networks - Requires high reliability, high speed and two-way channels - Forces time-consuming full update in case of errors Tactical Directory Service XOmail provides a Tactical Directory Service - Directory updates sent as messages - Exploits built-in capabilities for use over slow/unreliable/unidirectional channels Automatic or manual updates Filtering to reduce amount of data 20

21 Conclusion XOmail provides field-tested solutions for current HF usage Full operation for many years, both shore-side and afloat Legacy and current protocols XOmail supports future HF developments Higher bandwidths Automatic «best channel» selection Follows and influences NATO standardisation 21

22 Thank you for your attention Questions? bengt.kristiansen AT thalesgroup.com, oyvind.jonsson AT thalesgroup.com 22

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