Automated Security Requirements Management in Software Supply Chains
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Solution Overview
Problem
Software development and maintenance face challenges in identifying and prioritizing security requirements and vulnerabilities across complex software supply chains, with existing tools focusing mainly on source code analysis and lacking context-specific guidance, leading to potential security breaches and compliance issues.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for automated management of security requirements and software supply chain, which includes a shared component library with pre-authorized, hardened, or containerized components, and a requirements library providing actionable guidance for developers to ensure secure software development and maintenance by generating a prioritized task list and threat modeling diagrams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If developers manually identify and track security requirements across software supply chains, then security compliance can be achieved, but the time and effort required becomes excessive and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically generating prioritized task lists and threat modeling diagrams before developers begin their security review work. The automated system pre-identifies security requirements, vulnerabilities, and compliance tasks based on component dependencies, eliminating the need for developers to manually start this time-consuming process from scratch.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an automated management system as an intermediary between security requirements and developers. This intermediary automatically tracks component dependencies, generates task lists, creates threat models, and monitors compliance status, freeing developers from manual tracking while ensuring security compliance is maintained throughout the software supply chain.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If developers use existing source code analysis tools, then vulnerability detection can be performed, but context-specific guidance and prioritization are lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by providing context-specific security guidance tailored to each component and its specific vulnerabilities. Instead of generic vulnerability detection, the automated system generates prioritized task lists and threat modeling diagrams that are customized to the particular software asset, its dependencies, and identified security concerns, making the detection process both easier and more relevant.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes parameters by transforming raw vulnerability data into prioritized, actionable information. The system adjusts the presentation of security findings based on context, generating differentiated task lists and threat models that reflect the specific risk profile, dependency structure, and security requirements of each software asset, thereby improving both detection effectiveness and operational ease.
3Reliability
If comprehensive security monitoring is implemented across all software assets, then security breaches can be prevented, but the complexity of managing multiple repositories and requirements increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple security monitoring functions into a unified automated platform that simultaneously tracks component dependencies, generates task lists, creates threat models, and monitors compliance across all software assets. This consolidation reduces the complexity of managing separate repositories and requirements while maintaining comprehensive security coverage through integrated automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a universal security management system that performs multiple functions: automatic task list generation, threat modeling, dependency tracking, and compliance monitoring. This multi-functional platform simplifies security management by providing a single system that handles various security tasks across diverse software assets, reducing overall system complexity while enhancing breach prevention capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for automation and managing of security requirements and software supply chain in a software development lifecycle in a service-oriented architecture. Shared components can be used in the implementation of multiple software applications and each component has a functionality in the application and a set of controls for its implementation. A requirements library provides a list task requirements for each application which are applicable to the software application based on application context which is adjusted based on the controls required for implementation or controls addressed by the component. The shared components in the component library can be pre-authorized for use and applied to various software projects and applications with tracking, versioning, and dependency management.