Experiment as a Service Extending OpenStack into a Scientific Instrument for Cyber Security Research

The absence of scientific validation of results is one of the greatest obstacles in the field of cyber security. The lack of reproducible experimental environments and results is a main contributor to this problem. Scientific rigor requires that experiments be re-run to confirm their results. For the field of cyber security to progress, experiments must be run in a realistic and controllable environment. Significant advancement in cloud technology presents potential to alleviate these problems. We explore leveraging and modifying the OpenStack cloud platform to create a parameterized, repeatable, and shareable enterprise model in the context of a real experiment. Gaps and solutions are discussed to turn cloud technology into a scientific instrument.