Risk Management for Mission Support Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for critical infrastructure protection lack comprehensive risk management and emergency response strategies, particularly in a time and scenario-dependent environment, failing to effectively identify and mitigate threats across interconnected infrastructure sectors.
Innovation Solution
A method for risk management across a mission support network, which involves identifying mission assets and support assets, characterizing them with criticality and vulnerability indices, and implementing mitigation actions, countermeasures, and backup plans to reduce vulnerabilities and manage threats, utilizing a computer processor to analyze and display risk information to users.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If comprehensive risk management and emergency response strategies are implemented across interconnected infrastructure sectors, then the ability to identify and mitigate threats is improved, but the complexity of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the critical infrastructure into discrete assets, each characterized by criticality and vulnerability indices. This segmentation allows comprehensive risk management to be applied systematically to individual assets while maintaining an overview of the entire interconnected network, resolving the contradiction between comprehensive threat identification and system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by introducing quantitative criticality and vulnerability indices to characterize assets. These parameters transform qualitative risk assessments into measurable, comparable metrics, enabling systematic risk management across diverse infrastructure sectors without proportionally increasing system complexity.
2Measurement precision
If quantitative measures such as criticality and vulnerability indices are applied to assets, then the precision of risk assessment is improved, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system transforms the complex task of risk assessment into measuring two specific parameters: criticality index and vulnerability index. This parameter transformation simplifies the detection and measurement process while maintaining high precision in risk assessment, as these indices can be derived from asset characteristics and threat analyses.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces subjective, qualitative risk assessment methods with quantitative, computational evaluation of criticality and vulnerability indices. This substitution uses computer processors to automatically calculate and update risk metrics, reducing the difficulty of measurement while improving precision.
3Reliability
If mitigation actions and countermeasures are implemented to reduce asset vulnerabilities, then the reliability of the mission support network is improved, but the loss of time and resources increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary risk assessments by calculating criticality and vulnerability indices before threats materialize. This allows mitigation actions to be planned and prioritized in advance, reducing the time required for implementation when actual threats occur, while maintaining high network reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where risk assessments and mitigation outcomes are continuously monitored and updated. This feedback loop allows the system to learn from past events, optimize mitigation strategies, and reduce implementation time over successive risk management cycles while improving network reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of risk management across a mission support network is provided, including identifying a mission of the mission support network, and identifying, by a computer processor, assets of the mission support network. The assets include a mission asset to support the mission and a support asset to provide support to the mission asset. Each of the assets is characterized by a criticality index value to measure how important the asset is to a performance of the mission, and a vulnerability index value to measure a vulnerability of the asset to a threat.