Method of risk management across a mission support network

• US 8,046,253 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2008
• Issued: 10/25/2011
• 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 A
• Application Number:
  US12/266,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20100042918A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.28
• US Class Current: 705/7.28
• 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 risk management across a mission support network, comprising:

on a machine display, displaying a mission of the mission support network;

displaying assets of the mission support network, the assets comprising;

a mission asset to support the mission; and

a support asset to provide support to the mission asset; and

displaying a link between the mission asset and the support asset, the link indicative of support provided by the support asset,

wherein each of the assets is characterized by a displayed criticality index value to measure how important the asset is to a performance of the mission, and a displayed vulnerability index value to measure a vulnerability of the asset to a threat and said displaying the assets of the mission support network comprises, in a processor, generating the displayed criticality index value of at least one of the assets and generating the displayed vulnerability index value of at least one of the assets.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying an impact of a threat placed on the mission support network.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

managing a risk to the mission support network based on the displayed impact of the threat.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein managing the risk comprises:

reducing the vulnerabilities of at least one of the displayed assets.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein reducing the vulnerabilities comprises:

reducing the displayed vulnerability index value of at least one of the displayed assets before an occurrence of the threat.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein managing the risk comprises:

displaying a mitigation action to mitigate the impact of the threat.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the mitigation action comprises:

displaying a backup asset to replace at least one of the displayed assets during an occurrence of the threat.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed support asset further comprises:

a threatened asset upon which an impact of a threat is applied; and

displaying the impact of the threat on the mission asset based on the support provided by the threatened asset.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the mission support network comprises a first mission support network and a second mission support network coupled to the first mission support network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one first infrastructure asset of the first mission support network represents a first sector and at least one second infrastructure asset of the second mission support network represents a second sector.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the mission asset as a mission icon having an upper portion including a displayed value representing the criticality index value and a lower portion including a displayed value representing the vulnerability index value; and

displaying the support asset as a support icon having an upper portion including a displayed value representing the criticality index value and a lower portion including a displayed value representing the vulnerability index value.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the support provided by the support asset includes a support requirement of the mission asset.

13. A machine-based method of risk management across a first mission support network and a second mission support network, comprising:

on a machine display, displaying a mission of the first mission support network and the second mission support network, wherein the first mission support network is coupled to the second mission support network; and

displaying assets of the first mission support network and the second mission support network, the assets comprising;

a mission asset to support the mission; and

a support asset to provide support to the mission asset,

wherein each of the assets is characterized by a displayed criticality index value to measure how important the asset is to a performance of the mission, and a displayed vulnerability index value to measure a vulnerability of the asset to a threat and said displaying the assets of the first mission support network and the second mission support network comprises, in a processor, generating the displayed criticality index value of at least one of the assets and generating the displayed vulnerability index value of at least one of the assets and wherein at least one first infrastructure asset of the first mission support network represents a first sector and at least one second infrastructure asset of the second mission support network represents a second sector.

14. A machine-based method of risk management across a mission support network, comprising:

on a machine display, displaying a mission of the mission support network;

displaying assets of the mission support network, each of the assets being 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, the assets comprising;

a mission asset to support the mission; and

a support asset to provide support to the mission asset;

displaying the mission asset as a mission icon having an upper portion including a displayed value representing the criticality index value of the mission asset and a lower portion including a displayed value representing the vulnerability index value of the mission asset; and

displaying the support asset as a support icon having an upper portion including a displayed value representing the criticality index value of the support asset and a lower portion including a displayed value representing the vulnerability index value of the support asset, wherein said displaying the assets of the mission support network comprises, in a processor, generating the criticality index value of each of the assets and generating the vulnerability index value of each of the assets.