From Fine- to Coarse-Grained Dynamic Information Flow Control and Back

Dynamic information-flow control (IFC) is a principled approach to protecting the confidentiality and integrity of data in software systems. This tutorial provides a complete and homogeneous account of the latest advances in fine- and coarse-grained dynamic information-flow control security. Written for students, practitioners and researchers, the authors first introduce both fine- and coarse-grained IFC in a gentle and accessible way, laying the groundwork for subsequent chapters. They proceed to show that, contrary to common belief, the granularity of the tracking system is not a fundamental feature of IFC systems and hence does not restrict how precise or permissive dynamic IFC systems can be. To achieve this, the authors demonstrate practical examples of both Fine to Coarse-Grained and Coarse- to Fine-Grained Program Translation. This tutorial will give readers the insights required to understand, develop and implement dynamic information-flow control to improve the security of a wide variety of software systems.