WAP: Digital Dependability Identities

TL;DR

This paper introduces Digital Dependability Identities (DDIs) as a foundational model for ensuring dependability in Cyber-Physical Systems, emphasizing safety certification and practical implementation through Conditional Safety Certificates.

Contribution

It proposes the concept of DDIs, outlines their essential properties, and demonstrates their application via initial implementation of Conditional Safety Certificates.

Findings

DDIs can enable off-line and in-field dependability certification.

ConSerts provide a practical means for safety assurance in CPS.

The approach supports universal applicability across supply chains.

Abstract

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) provide enormous potential for innovation but a precondition for this is that the issue of dependability has been addressed. This paper presents the concept of a Digital Dependability Identity (DDI) of a component or system as foundation for assuring the dependability of CPS. A DDI is an analyzable and potentially executable model of information about the dependability of a component or system. We argue that DDIs must fulfill a number of properties including being universally useful across supply chains, enabling off-line certification of systems where possible, and providing capabilities for in-field certification of safety of CPS. In this paper, we focus on system safety as one integral part of dependability and as a practical demonstration of the concept, we present an initial implementation of DDIs in the form of Conditional Safety Certificates (also known as ConSerts). We explain ConSerts and their practical operationalization based on an illustrative example.