Partitioning Communication System is a computer and communications security architecture based on an information flow separation policy. The PCS extends the four foundational security policies of a MILS (Multiple Independent Levels of Security) software architecture to the network:
End-to-end Information Flow
End-to-end Data Isolation
End-to-end Periods Processing
End-to-end Damage Limitation
The PCS leverages software separation to enable application layer entities to enforce, manage, and control application layer security policies in such a manner that the application layer security policies are:
Non-bypassable
Evaluatable
Always-invoked
Tamper-proof
The result is a communications architecture that allows a software separation kernel and the PCS to share responsibility of security with the application.
The PCS was invented by OIS. OIS collaborated extensively on the requirements for the PCS with: