Method and apparatus for critical infrastructure protection

• US 7,953,620 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2008
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Forcepoint Federal Holdings LLC (Forcepoint LLC)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Scates, Joseph F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dixon; Thomas
• Application Number:
  US12/270,333
• Publication Number:
  US 20100042472A1
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7, 705/7.11
• US Class Current: 705/7.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/577 Assessing vulnerabilities and evaluating computer system security
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0635 Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06393 Score-carding, benchmarking or key performance indicator [KPI] analysis

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. A machine-based method of mission support comprising:

in a processor, identifying a requirement to support a mission;

identifying a sector to support the requirement;

identifying a function of the sector to support the requirement;

in a memory, recording the identified function to support the requirement;

recording additional knowledge used to identify the function to support the requirement;

identifying an infrastructure asset to support the function;

recording the identified infrastructure asset to support the function; and

recording additional knowledge used to identify the infrastructure asset to support the function.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein recording the additional knowledge used to identify the infrastructure asset to support the function includes recording decision criteria and acceptable responses associated with the decision criteria.

3. A machine-based method of mission support comprising:

in a processor, identifying a mission;

identifying at least one infrastructure asset to support the mission; and

building a mission support network to support the identified mission, wherein the mission support network comprises the at least one identified infrastructure asset characterized by a criticality index value to measure how important the at least one infrastructure asset is to a performance of the mission, and a vulnerability index value to measure a vulnerability of the at least one infrastructure asset to a threat on the mission.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

identifying a first sector comprising a plurality of first sector infrastructure assets and a

second sector comprising a plurality of second sector infrastructure assets, wherein the at least one infrastructure asset is a plurality of infrastructure assets, a first portion of which includes at least one of the first sector infrastructure assets, and a second portion of which includes at least one of the second sector infrastructure assets.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one infrastructure asset includes a first mission asset to directly support a first mission and a second mission asset to directly support a second mission, further comprising:

identifying an infrastructure support asset to support the first mission asset and the second mission asset, the infrastructure support asset characterized by a first support asset criticality index value to measure how important the infrastructure support asset is to a performance of the first mission and a second support asset criticality index value to measure how important the infrastructure support asset is to a performance of the second mission.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining a first mission importance value of the first mission and a second mission importance value of the second mission;

determining a first importance value of the infrastructure support asset to a performance of the first mission, wherein the first importance value relates to the first support asset criticality index value;

determining a second importance value of the infrastructure support asset to a performance of the second mission, wherein the second importance value relates to the second support asset criticality index value; and

determining a combined criticality index value of the infrastructure support asset, wherein the combined criticality index value relates to the first and second importance values of the infrastructure support asset and the first and second mission importance values.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said determining the combined criticality index value of the infrastructure support asset comprises:

summing the first and second importance values of the infrastructure support asset to obtain a total importance value of the infrastructure support asset to a performance of the first and second missions;

summing the first and second mission importance values for respective first and second missions to obtain a total mission importance value; and

determining the combined criticality index value of the infrastructure support asset by summing the total importance value of the infrastructure support asset and the total mission importance value of the first and second missions.