Software Application Safety Compliance via Risk-Based Profile Generation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Software applications deployed in critical-safety systems often interfere with the system's APIs or resources, leading to unpredictable behavior and hazardous operational situations, as they may not comply with functional safety standards.

Innovation Solution

A system generates application profiles that govern the execution of software applications by scoring their risk of non-compliance with functional safety standards. Based on these scores, the system configures permissions to disable unsafe functionalities, ensuring compliance and safe operation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If software applications are deployed in critical-safety systems without restrictions, then productivity and ease of operation are improved, but system reliability and safety are worsened due to potential interference with critical APIs and resources

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesoftware deployment efficiencyVSAvoidfunctional safety compliance

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary risk assessment and generates application profiles with configured permissions before deploying software applications to critical-safety systems. This advance preparation identifies potential safety violations and restricts dangerous functionalities beforehand, allowing safe deployment without compromising system reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary risk assessment system that mediates between software applications and critical-safety systems. This intermediary evaluates applications, generates safety profiles, and enforces permission restrictions, thereby enabling productivity improvement while maintaining functional safety compliance through a buffering layer

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If software applications are deployed in critical-safety systems without restrictions, then ease of operation is improved, but system safety is worsened due to unpredictable behavior and hazardous situations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesoftware deployment simplicityVSAvoidhazardous operational situations

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies preliminary anti-action by proactively identifying and restricting hazardous functionalities through risk assessment and application profiling. Dangerous operations are blocked before they can cause harmful effects, thereby maintaining ease of deployment while preventing hazardous situations through advance protective measures

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the potential harm of unrestricted software deployment into benefit by using the deployment process itself to gather risk assessment data. The act of deploying software triggers automatic safety evaluation, generating protective application profiles that transform the deployment activity from a risk source into a safety enforcement mechanism

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Reliability

If risk assessment and application profiling are performed for all software applications, then functional safety compliance is improved, but device complexity and processing time are worsened

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefunctional safety complianceVSAvoidrisk assessment system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system manages complexity by changing parameters of the risk assessment process, such as adjusting the depth of analysis, permission restriction levels, and evaluation thresholds based on application characteristics and system requirements. This allows functional safety compliance to be maintained while adapting the complexity of the assessment system to match actual risk levels

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS20250123945A1Controlling execution of software applications based on application profiles to facilitate safety compliance

Publication Date: 2025.04.17 RED HAT INC

AI summary

Execution of software applications can be controlled based on application profiles to facilitate safety compliance. For example, a system can execute a test suite to identify a function call of a software application that is associated with a functional safety standard issued by a standard-setting organization. In response to identifying the function call, the system can generate a risk score for the function call. The risk score can indicate a likelihood of the function call causing non-compliance with the functional safety standard. The system can further generate an application profile including a permission for the software application based on the risk score. The permission may disable the function call of the software application. The system may then execute the software application based on the application profile. As a result, execution of the software application can comply with the functional safety standard.