Lightweight Portable Security

Lightweight Portable Security
Developer US Department of Defense
OS family ArchLinux
Working state Current
Source model Open source
Initial release 2011
Latest release 1.6.4[1] / 30 January 2016 (2016-01-30)
Kernel type Monolithic (Linux)
Userland GNU
Default user interface IceWM
License Free software licenses
(mainly GPL)
Official website

Lightweight Portable Security (LPS) is a Linux LiveCD, (or LiveUSB), developed and publicly distributed by the United States Department of Defense’s Software Protection Initiative[2] that is designed to serve as a secure end node. It can run on almost any Intel-based computer (PC or Mac). LPS boots only in RAM, creating a pristine, non-persistent, end node. It supports DoD-approved Common Access Card (CAC) readers, as required for authenticating users on DoD networks.[3][4][5][6]

LPS-Public turns an untrusted system (such as a home computer) into a trusted network client. No trace of work activity (or malware) can be written to the local computer hard drive. As of September 2011 (version 1.2.5), the LPS public distribution includes a smart card-enabled Firefox browser supporting DoD's CAC and Personal Identity Verification (PIV) cards, a PDF and text viewer, Java, a file browser, remote desktop software (Citrix, Microsoft or VMware View), an SSH client, the public edition of Encryption Wizard and the ability to use USB flash drives. A Public Deluxe version is available that adds OpenOffice.org and Adobe Reader software.

Encryption Wizard

LPS comes with Encryption Wizard (EW), a simple, strong file and folder encryptor for protection of sensitive but unclassified information (FOUO, Privacy Act, CUI, etc.). Written in Java, EW encrypts all file types for data at rest and data in transit protection. Without installation or elevated privileges, EW runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, Solaris, and other computers that support the Java software platform. With a simple drag and drop interface, EW offers 128-bit AES encryption, SHA-256 hashing, RSA signatures, searchable metadata, archives, compression, secure deleting, and PKI/CAC/PIV support. Encryption can be keyed from a passphrase or a PKI certificate. EW is GOTS—U.S. Government invented, owned, and supported software—and comes in two versions, a public version that uses the standard Java cryptographic library and a government-only version that uses a FIPS-140-2 certified crypto stack licensed from RSA Security. The two versions interoperate.

This article incorporates text from the US Department of Defense SPI web site.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "LPS Release Notes". Special Protection Initiative. Department of Defense Special Protection Initiative. 2015-09-02. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  2. ↑ DoD Software Protection Initiative
  3. ↑ LPS main page, http://www.spi.dod.mil/lipose.htm
  4. ↑ Lifehacker, http://lifehacker.com/5824183/lightweight-portable-security-is-a-portable-linux-distro-from-the-department-of-defense
  5. ↑ Linux Journal, http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/linux-distribution-lightweight-portable-security
  6. ↑ InformationWeek, http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/security/231002431
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