Review of Potential Assurance Case Tool Options for DoD
Abstract
The assurance case framework has the potential to improve the safety certification process for complex systems; however, effective implementation of it relies on tools to help one build a complex assurance case. We previously conducted a survey to identify available assurance case tools. We now build on this work by attempting to directly access assurance case tools and evaluate their ease of installation and use hands-on. Our work uncovered a litany of possible cybersecurity issues with assurance case tools, which make 16 of 17 open access tools studied in this work unsuitable for DoD use. We also contacted 6 commercial assurance case tool developers; though full trial versions of tools were not always available, we identified multiple commercial assurance case tools lacking obvious cybersecurity issues that may be suitable for DoD use. However, given the range of issues identified (and possibility of further unnoticed issues), it may be worthwhile for DoD to invest in assurance case tool development in-house, if DoD intends to push the assurance case approach. We also investigated linkages between assurance case tools and tools for model-based systems engineering (MBSE), and found that very few tools mentioned MBSE or linked to MBSE tools.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2024
- Accession Number
- AD1211550
Entities
People
- Kevin P. Roback
Organizations
- Institute for Defense Analyses
- Office Of The Under Secretary Of Defense