  Currently, the TCP/IP model enables exploitation of vulnerabilities
anonymously by unconditionally fulfilling every request for a connection into
an application; the model only incorporates authentication within applications
themselves, rather than as a precondition for access into applications. I am
proposing the Universal Session Protocol as a change to the architecture of the
TCP/IP model to include a session layer featuring a structured generalized
process for authentication negotiation and fulfillment. The Universal Session
Protocol addresses an urgent and vital need to eliminate unauthenticated data
processing on security critical systems. Previous work regarding TCP/IP
security has focused on the application design and implementation and existing
protocol layers, but has failed to posit the addition of a session layer as a
mitigating control. Failing to implement a distinct authentication layer leaves
every resource connected to the global Internet, including life and security
critical infrastructure, vulnerable to attacks from anonymous and untraceable
sources. The Universal Session Protocol provides a solution by establishing a
TCP/IP Session Layer that explicitly provides authentication before a data
stream is accessible within an application. After authentication, an identity
is associated with the data stream so that all data may be related back to that
identity for forensic purposes. If authentication fails, the application will
never process user data, rendering the service safe from anonymous bad actors.
