Cyberattack Simulation With Parallel Log Confirmation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cybersecurity testing protocols face challenges in efficiently assembling, organizing, and managing a set of security tests to simulate cyberattacks, and in confirming the proper execution of these tests to distinguish between failures in the testing process and failures in the security system, often leading to prolonged testing times due to slow log searches.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for simulating cyberattacks with parallel confirmation of execution, involving a testing processor to execute security tests in series and a search processor to search activity logs in parallel, reducing delays by using a hybrid sequence-parallel approach to log searches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If security tests are executed sequentially with log searches performed after each test, then execution confirmation is thorough, but testing time is prolonged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent prepares search queries and log search configurations in advance before executing security tests. By pre-configuring the log search parameters and having the search mechanism ready to execute, the system eliminates the time delay associated with setting up log searches after each test, while maintaining thorough execution confirmation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements parallel execution where log searches are performed simultaneously with security test execution rather than sequentially. The search processor continuously monitors and searches logs while the testing processor executes tests, ensuring that confirmation actions continue without interruption and reducing overall testing time
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple security tests are managed and organized manually, then test configuration is flexible, but testing efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal testing framework that can handle multiple types of security tests (penetration tests, vulnerability scans, malware simulations) through a single automated system. The framework provides common functions for test management, log analysis, and result aggregation that work across different test types, maintaining flexibility while improving efficiency through automation
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically manages test execution, log collection, and result analysis without requiring manual intervention for each test. The automated framework selects appropriate tests, executes them in sequence, performs log searches, and generates reports autonomously, significantly improving testing efficiency while maintaining configuration flexibility through programmable parameters
Data Source
AI summary
For more efficient confirmation of a successful cyberattack simulation, as a plurality of security tests are executed as a series on a testing processor, a search processor searches an activity log of a device targeted by the security tests for indicators of each test. The searches may execute in parallel with the tests on their respective processors. A test result for a test thereby reflects both the search result and the response of a security device to the execution of the test.