Student Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering or similar (f/m/x)

Studien-/ Abschlussarbeit

Enter the fascinating world of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) and help shape the future through research and innovation! We offer an exciting and inspiring working environment driven by the expertise and curiosity of our 11,000 employees from 100 nations and our unique infrastructure. Together, we develop sustainable technologies and thus contribute to finding solutions to global challenges. Would you like to join us in addressing this major future challenge? Then this is your place!

For our institute of Software Technology in Braunschweig we are looking for a

Student Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering or similar (f/m/x)

Secure and reliable excution of untrusted code in space

What to expect:

ScOSA (Scalable On-board computing for Space Avionics) is an architecture for on-board computers which aims to provide reliability and high-performance processing for spacecraft. This is achieved by using a distributed computer consisting of multiple, heterogeneous processors networked together. Commercial-off-the-shelf processors that provide high performance are complemented with space-grade, radiation-hardened processors to provide reliability. A custom-built middleware allows the processors to monitor each other for faults and provides an abstraction layer, which allows applications to use the computing resources of all nodes simultaneously with minimal concern for the underlying complexities of the distributed system.

With such a computational power available in a space system it is possible to consider the opportunistic use of the platform to run third-party experiments in space by research institutions, companies, universities, or schools. However, these users may not be able to provide experiment software with the quality and reliability expected for critical space missions. Therefore, the ScOSA platform shall provide a way to execute untrusted code in a secure and reliable way by using mixed criticality techniques.

A common technique to enable mixed-criticality is to use the sandboxing or containerization tools available in modern operating systems such as GNU/Linux. Thus, it is possible to confine the execution of processes so they don't interfere with other critical parts of the system. Additionally, it is necessary to provide users with a convenient platform to develop space applications in an agile way, so the time required to upload a space application is reduced while maintaining limited risks.

The thesis includes the following tasks:

• design a framework to evaluate reliability and security aspects of the execution of untrusted code in space
• research and evaluate sandboxing or containerization techniques suitable to run third-party ScOSA applications
• research and evaluate software platforms to develop, upload, and execute ScOSA applications in space
• integrate the selected tools to the ScOSA software execution platform
• evaluate the reliability and security aspects of the proposed solution by using example ScOSA applications
• writing a Master thesis

What we expect from you:

• master's student in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering or similar
• interest in embedded software and research
• experience with C++ and GNU/Linux
• experience in low-level embedded development is an advantage
• experience with sandboxing or cybersecurity is an advantage
• you are able to communicate in English (supervision will be in English)

What we offer:

DLR stands for diversity, appreciation and equality for all people. We promote independent work and the individual development of our employees both personally and professionally. To this end, we offer numerous training and development opportunities. Equal opportunities are of particular importance to us, which is why we want to increase the proportion of women in science and management in particular. Applicants with severe disabilities will be given preference if they are qualified.

Further information:

Starting date: immediately
Duration of contract: 6 months
Type of employment: Full-time (part-time is possible)

Vacancy-ID: 94907

Contact:
Dr. Carlos Eduardo Gonzalez Cortes Institut für Softwaretechnologie
Tel.: Telefonnummer auf connecticum.de ansehen