Unified Cybersecurity System Modeling of Naval Control Systems

The Strategic Optics for Intelligent Analytics (SOFIA) software tool allows decision makers to gain full visibility of cyber risk within Naval Control Systems (NCS) from a unified vantagepoint. SOFIA uses model-based system engineering (MBSE) tools, sound systems engineering principles and a standards-based approach to data modeling (e.g., Systems Modeling Language (SySML)), to establish a fully-automated, interactive method to evaluate how changes in technology affect an integrated system’s ability to fulfill its mission. This approach provides a unified representation of NCS artifacts that prepare a foundation for a simplified view of cyber situational awareness. Currently, risk analysis is often presented strictly through the lens of a risk management framework (RMF) focused on compliance to configuration standards using a limited set of tools. SOFIA widens this view of a system’s inherent security posture by spanning not only multiple NCS platforms but also integrating a variety of threat intelligence sources and IT Service Management (ITSM) data sources. As new intelligence emerges, SOFIA allows decision makers to identify which assets are most critical to executing the most important mission essential functions, how those assets are impacted by known and emerging attack vectors, prioritize remediation strategies, and gain new insights about the system’s security