title: Risk analysis based method for security assessment and its applications
reg no: ETF5870
project type: Estonian Science Foundation research grant
subject: 2.9. System Engineering and Computer Technology
status: completed
institution: Tallinn Technical University
head of project: Ahto Buldas
duration: 01.01.2004 - 31.12.2005
description: Simple engineering solutions are often as secure in practice as complex (cryptographic) solutions, which may though avert more attacks but which in sum do not reduce more risks. This far, there exist no satisfactory methods (of academic quality) to formally analyze the applications of a security solution. The main goal of this project is to develop a method of security analysis, which: (1) uses the definition of practical security -- to reduce the overall risk (instead of preventing certain attacks!); (2) based on the general functionality of the system is capable of determining the most important risks; (3) is capable of taking into account the details of the system with any granularity (in case these details affect the most important risks); (4) is capable of overcoming unimportant (for risk analysis) details.
To achieve the main goal, the applicants plan to refine the Bruce Schneier's attack tree method, which is capable of assessing the vulnerability of practical systems but which is insufficent for describing simultaneously the attacks and the spontaneous threats. The goal of the current project is to:
(1) refine attack trees, so that it is possible to analyze both types of threats simultaneously;
(2) based on the new method, analyze current solutions and systems;
(3) based on the new method, analyze security-critical public services (like state registers and e-voting);
(4) if possible, contribute to existing security analysis methodology.

project group
no name institution position  
1.Ahto BuldasTallinn Technical Universityprofessor 
2.Monika OitCybernetica ASosakonnajuhataja 
3.Märt Saareperavabakutseline