Composite Metrics for Network Security Analysis

TL;DR

This paper introduces a systematic classification of network security metrics based on reachability information and proposes a method to develop composite metrics using Hierarchical Attack Representation Models.

Contribution

It provides a novel classification framework for security metrics and a new methodology for creating composite metrics with HARM.

Findings

Classified security metrics into host-based and network-based categories.

Developed a method to compute composite security metrics using HARM.

Enhanced understanding of security assessment through systematic classification.

Abstract

Security metrics present the security level of a system or a network in both qualitative and quantitative ways. In general, security metrics are used to assess the security level of a system and to achieve security goals. There are a lot of security metrics for security analysis, but there is no systematic classification of security metrics that are based on network reachability information. To address this, we propose a systematic classification of existing security metrics based on network reachability information. Mainly, we classify the security metrics into host-based and network-based metrics. The host-based metrics are classified into metrics ``without probability" and "with probability", while the network-based metrics are classified into "path-based" and "non-path based". Finally, we present and describe an approach to develop composite security metrics and it's calculations using a Hierarchical Attack Representation Model (HARM) via an example network. Our novel classification of security metrics provides a new methodology to assess the security of a system.