Robustness against misuse - a new attribute of technical systems

Abstract

Operation of a number of technical systems is related to the danger of events' occurrence posing threat to human health and life, resulting in material damage or damage to the environment. Methods and procedures used for risk management take into consideration also a failure of a human factor as a possible cause of dangerous events' occurrence, but they do not give us opportunity to take into account a possible intention of man who can cause a dangerous event on purpose. In view of the terrorist threat we lack a coherent methodology which would enable us to influence system ability so that it could reduce its consequences or it could be protected against misuse by its design solution. This ability of a system is called robustness against misuse. The article presents fundamental approaches of new methodology which enable us to specify systems' robustness requirements, to describe and classify “weak” points of the systems, to analyze and assess robustness level, and to find and suggest effective ways of increasing the systems' robustness against misuse. The presented methodology is based on the assumption that similarly, as in case of dependability and safety, the assurance of system robustness should be also an object of systematic attention in all phases of the system life cycle, and that the system robustness against misuse is formed in a crucial manner mainly in the early phases of a life cycle (so called premanufacturing stages - conception, development, design).