HOW CAN ANALYSIS OF HUMAN RELIABILITY HELP TO IMPROVE CYBERSECURITY?

摘要

The sheer size and indispensable nature of lifeline networks make them essential structures of society, and their breakdown can have dramatic consequences. Following a needs analysis for emergency managers, it was ascertained that the behavior of lifeline networks needed to be studied, taking into account all potential breakdown scenarios. In this perspective, it is essential that all network vulnerabilities emanating from computerized tools be identified, especially considering that such tools are intimately linked to the workings of today's society. The suggested approach differentiates networks according to the importance of their mission, operations and infrastructures, and their efficiency. It provides for an overall and in-depth analysis of network vulnerabilities. Based on the efficiency level of a mission, it is possible to determine the internal vulnerabilities of a network by characterizing the endogenous hazards and human reliability and techniques from which operational malfunctions can occur. From that point, external causes that generate a breakdown, particularly those emanating from computer utilization, can be identified. Instead of a "what if" reasoning based on a particular hazard, this new approach seeks to identify network weaknesses based on a "why-how" analysis. This document describes this approach as well as the criteria required to develop a vulnerability study that takes into account both the internal and external hazards to which a lifeline network is exposed.