Secure Software Education: A Contextual Model-Based Approach

This article establishes a context for secure information systems development as well as a set of models used to develop and apply a secure software production pedagogy. A generic system model is presented to support the system context development, and to provide a framework for discussing security relationships that exist between and among information systems and their applications. An asset protection model is tailored to provide a conceptual ontology for secure information system topics, and a stable logical framework that is independent of specific organizations, technologies and their associated changes. This asset protection model provides a unique focus for each of the three primary professional communities associated with the development and operation of secure information systems: the systems/software engineering, information assurance, and the legal/justice/intelligence communities. It is also a vehicle for structured interfaces among these groups. A secure adaptive response model is discussed to provide an analytical tool to assess risk associated with the development and deployment of secure information systems and a security metric with which to determine coverage of topics to address and mitigate those risks. A pedagogical model for information assurance curriculum development is then established in the context and terms of the developed secure information system models. The relevance of secure coding techniques to the production of secure systems, architectures and organizational operations is also discussed.