Context-Aware Vulnerability Chains for Automated Cybersecurity Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cybersecurity testing is fragmented and requires heavy investments, with existing methods relying heavily on operator input and being unable to automate testing without complex formalizations, and changes in the environment can invalidate analyses.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that generates vulnerability chains automatically from a unified database of vulnerabilities based on the description of software elements, using similarity comparisons and context validation to build and validate chains.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automated vulnerability testing is implemented, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases due to requirement of complex formalizations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer consisting of standardized vulnerability templates and attack graphs that mediate between the automated testing system and the complex target environment. These templates act as a bridge, allowing automated tools to systematically generate and validate vulnerability chains without requiring complex formalizations of the entire environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the vulnerability testing process into discrete, manageable components: vulnerability identification, attack graph generation, and chain validation. Each segment operates independently with standardized interfaces, enabling automation while reducing overall system complexity through modular architecture.
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive vulnerability analysis is performed, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases due to manual analysis requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service automation where the system automatically generates vulnerability chains, validates them against the target environment, and produces test results without requiring manual analyst intervention. The automated attack graph generator and validator perform their functions autonomously, maintaining high measurement precision while eliminating time-consuming manual analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where the system continuously validates generated vulnerability chains against the target environment configuration and adjusts subsequent generation cycles accordingly. This iterative feedback process ensures high accuracy in vulnerability identification while maintaining automated operation that reduces time loss.
3Productivity
If vulnerability chains are generated without context validation, then productivity is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to false positives
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary context validation during the vulnerability chain generation process itself, rather than as a separate post-processing step. The attack graph generator incorporates environment context information and validates potential vulnerability chains against this context in advance, ensuring reliability while maintaining high productivity through integrated validation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts validation parameters and thresholds based on the specific target environment context. The system modifies its validation criteria according to the detected software versions, configurations, and architectural characteristics, enabling reliable vulnerability identification across diverse environments without sacrificing generation speed.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method for testing cybersecurity of a target environment. The method includes: receiving data from the target environment, the data including software elements; accessing a database of vulnerabilities, and extracting therefrom a list of vulnerabilities including all of the vulnerabilities associated with an element; and building a list of vulnerability chains on the basis of the list of vulnerabilities. The building includes: for each given vulnerability in the list of vulnerabilities, comparing consequences of the current vulnerability with the means of the given vulnerability; when a similarity is found, defining one or more new chains by adding the given vulnerability to each of the chains in the current list, adding the new chain(s) to the list of vulnerability chains, and repealing the receiving and the accessing with the given vulnerability as the current vulnerability, and the list of vulnerability chains as the current list.