Network Verification and Testing

The security, performance, and availability of our critical network infrastructures relies on the correct implementation of different policy goals. Network operators realize these goals by composing and configuring diverse network appliances such as routers, firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, and web proxies. Unfortunately, this process of managing networks is extremely challenging, error-prone, and entails significant manual effort and operational costs. Configuration and implementation errors could have significant consequences as it can degrade network performance, induce downtime for critical infrastructures, and cause violations of key security postures. Systematically identifying and diagnosing potential violations has been, and continues to be, a fundamental challenge. This project will develop a principled framework to check if a network setup correctly implements a given suite of policies and to help operators proactively and automatically diagnose and localize the sources of policy violations.