Neural Network-based Tool for Survivability Assessment of K-variant Systems

The K-variant is a multi-variant architecture to enhance the security of the time-bounded mission and safety-critical systems. Variants in the K-variant architecture are generated by controlled source program transformations. Previous experimental studies showed that the K-variant architecture might improve the security of systems against memory exploitation attacks. In order to estimate the survivability of K-variant systems, simulation techniques are utilized. However, these techniques are slow and may not be practical for the design of K-variant systems. Therefore, fast and highly accurate estimations of the survivability of K-variant systems are necessary for developers. The neural networks may allow quick and accurate estimation of the survivability of K-variant systems. The developed neural network-based tool can make quick and precise estimations of the survivability of K-variant systems under different conditions. In this paper, the accuracy of the neural network-based tool is investigated in an experimental study. The neural network-based tool estimations are compared with a K-variant attack emulator in three programs for up to ten variant systems under four attack types and three attack durations. The experimental study demonstrates that the neural network-based tool makes fast and accurate estimations of the survivability of K-variant systems under all the conditions investigated.