Protecting the hosted application server

Abstract

Internet applications are evolving from the Web server to the more powerful and dynamic application server in order to support the deployment of complex applications integrated with the organization's back end systems. A key element of the application server architecture is CORBA, the Common Object Request Broker that allows applications to communicate in a transparent and interoperable manner. For this new architecture to succeed, it must guarantee a secure processing environment to the organisations. This paper explains why a conventional firewall cannot be used to secure CORBA applications. It describes the architecture of CORBAgate, a gateway based on the concept of proxies and object key re-mapping. The paper compares the CORBAgate solution with the OMG specification for CORBA firewall security. Finally, the paper discusses how these elements combine to enable outsourced application services.