Managing Cybersecurity Threats — A System-Engineering Approach

Bhaskarpatidar
The Systems Engineering Scholar
3 min readOct 6, 2023

INTRODUCTION

In today's world of the internet, cyber threats are increasing daily. Information is the king in many sectors, and various sectors are network-dependent; cybersecurity is becoming a critical business component. With the system engineering approach, we must understand that cyber security is not about any specific person or individual. Still, interdependency and its relation to different things within an organization. These things may include how the data flows from one end to another, how systems are linked with each component, and how a small weakness in any one area can cause big damage overall.

Cybersecurity: A Systems Approach investigates information security weaknesses and strategies for treating cybersecurity resilience as a complex system. Managing Cybersecurity Threats: A Systems Engineering Approach would have most likely been tailored to the cybersecurity requirements of various settings and stakeholders.

The types of environments and stakeholders that are typically considered in a systems engineering approach to cybersecurity are

Business Networks: Many corporations and organizations, whether large and small, have corporate networks that are very important to their everyday operations. This might be addressed in the context of safeguarding these networks from various attacks. Complex and advanced networks may include systems such as electricity grids, water supply networks, and transportation networks which are larger in size as well they are more complex in nature. It is very important to protect these systems against cyber attacks in order to maintain the safety and well-being of a nation’s population. Because of the essential, crucial and critical data it holds, the financial industry may potentially be a top target for cyberattacks. As a result, we have to focus on cybersecurity measures that can help particular banks, payment processors, and other financial institutions, as well as any infrastructure.

There are stakeholders, too, and the stakeholders are:-

Users: System users, such as workers, customers, and partners, are key stakeholders. A stakeholder might also be an employee of the organization. Security analysts, engineers, and specialists in charge of establishing and maintaining cybersecurity measures are examples of cybersecurity professionals.

Executives and Management: Business leaders and executives have a keen interest in their firms’ cybersecurity. They must comprehend the risks and make educated decisions regarding cybersecurity resource allocation.

Systems engineering is solely dependent on needs that are well-defined and well-managed, as it is also mentioned in the INCOSE SE Handbook.

Risk management: Assessing and reducing risks the risk to lowest possible level where the chances of cyber threat is lowest is a very necessary step in managing and stopping the cybersecurity threats. The book may refer to the risk management techniques included in the INCOSE SE Handbook is used to illustrate how systems engineering concepts may be used to recognize, assess, and reduce cybersecurity threats.

Standards and ethics: The INCOSE SE Handbook discuss standards and ethics in systems engineering. The book may include the moral obligations related to controlling cybersecurity dangers as well as the standards and regulations that control cybersecurity operations.

In today’s increasingly interconnected and digitally dependent world, handling cybersecurity threats is very important. Until and unless the internet will be there the risk of cyber attack will always be there. A systems engineering approach will give us a proper framework that can nicely contribute to mitigating these threats and making the overall situation more secure and resilient.

SE principles call for a concrete understanding of the system, its surroundings, and stakeholders. By using this method, companies may acquire a solid understanding of the known flaws and vulnerabilities or hazards that their systems are facing. They may then design, implement, and execute stronger security measures that take not just functional requirements but also security, resilience, and flexibility into account.

In conclusion, implementing the system engineering principles to manage cybersecurity threats offers a broad view of how we can enhance security and improve the chances of securing a network or a device. By combining cybersecurity considerations with the system development lifecycle, organizations can lower the chances of vulnerabilities, improve incident response, and provide a safer digital environment for their users and stakeholders.

REFRENCES

https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/90804

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8735376

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