Security: Researchers Create Next-Generation Software to Identify Complex Cyber Network Attacks

Researchers Create Next-Generation Software to Identify Complex Cyber Network Attacks
George Mason University (03/17/08) Edgerly, Jennifer

Researchers at George Mason University's Center for Secure Information Systems have developed CAULDRON, software that can prevent successful cyber attacks by identifying possible vulnerabilities in an organization's network. To protect an organization's networks, it is necessary to understand not only individual system vulnerabilities, but their interdependencies. "Currently, network administrators must rely on labor-intensive processes for tracking network configurations and vulnerabilities, which requires a great deal of expertise and is error prone because of the complexity, volume, and frequent changes in security data and network configurations," says university professor and center director Sushil Jajodia. "This new software is an automated tool that can analyze and visualize vulnerabilities and attack paths, encouraging 'what-if analysis.'" CAULDRON allows for the transformation of raw security data into roadmaps that allow users to prepare for attacks, manage vulnerabilities, and have real-time situational awareness. CAULDRON can show all possible attack paths into a network, can provide informed risk analysis, and can analyze vulnerability dependencies. Jajodia says the software is applicable to almost any organization with a network and resources that need protecting. The Federal Aviation Administration recently installed CAULDRON in their Cyber Security Incident Response Center, helping them prioritize security problems, reveal unseen attack paths, and protect large numbers of attack paths.
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