Security Assessments of Safety Critical Systems Using HAZOPs

Concerned with serious problems regarding security as a safety issue, a HAZOP specifically suited for identifying security threats has been developed. Unfortunately, the emphasis placed on security issues when developing safety critical systems is to often inadequate, possibly due to the lack of ”safety-compliant” security methods. Having had the opportunity to adapt the HAZOP-principle to the security context, a HAZOP was established which is well-suited for handling security issues in a safety context. Indeed, since the main modification of the method consists of establishing new guidewords and attributes, it is quite possible to handle security issues as part of the traditional hazard analysis. In addition, while presenting the modified HAZOP-method, its use on safety related systems will be demonstrated.