EXPERT SYSTEMS APPLIED TO VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS

AN EXPERT SYSTEM IS ONE WHICH CAN PERFORM AT THE LEVEL OF AN EXPERT IN A SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE DOMAIN. TARGET APPLICATION AREAS FOR EXPERT SYSTEMS INCLUDE THOSE AREAS FOR WHICH THERE ARE PERHAPS A FEW SIMPLE UNDERLYING THEORIES AND A RATHER LARGE ACCUMULATION OF HIGH LEVEL KNOWLEDGE CONSIDERED OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE IN THE ANALYTIC PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS. PRESENT VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT COMPUTER CODE REQUIRE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF MANUAL PREPROCESSING. MUCH OF THIS INPUT MUST BE GENERATED USING SUBJECTIVE JUDGEMENT. A SKILLED VULNERABILITY ANALYST CAN PROVIDE INPUTS TO THE COMPUTER CODES WHICH PRODUCE REASONABLE VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS; HOWEVER, ASSESSMENTS PRODUCED BY LESS SKILLED ANALYST ARE ERROR PRONE DUE TO DIFFERENCES IN PERCEPTION AND EXPERIENCE LEVEL. EXPERT GUIDANCE IN THE MANUAL PREPROCESSING ASSOCIATED WITH VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS IS NEEDED TO PRO-VIDE CONSISTENCY AND LESSEN THE DEGREE OF SUBJECTIVITY. THIS PHASE I EFFORT WILL INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY OF DEVELOPING A COMPUTER ENHANCED EXPERT SYSTEM FOR PERFORMING VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS.