Patent ID: 9628501
Date: 2017-04-18
CPC Classifications: G06Q,H04L,Y04S

Claim:
1. A computer-implemented method for protecting an enterprise-wide computer network of operational technology (OT) systems, information technology (IT) systems, and security systems (ST) that are embedded in a computer network of a larger global set of enterprises and that are protected by a dynamic and adaptive perimeter security system from external malicious agents and adverse events, said enterprise-wide computer network comprising a plurality of clusters of subsystems, each subsystem comprising a plurality of lower level subsystems and individual computers, said individual computers, in turn, comprising a plurality of other smaller monitored and controlled elements (MCE) comprising computers, applications, sensors, actuators, and underlying business processes, the method comprising: conforming elemental processes in said enterprise-wide computer network to a processor-implemented self-similar structure comprising a plurality of business processes spread over a plurality of domains, said domains comprising any and all of operational systems, IT systems, and security systems; representing the most elemental business and operational processes in each domain as a network supporting exchange of value that represents information and action, wherein all elementary business processes in all of said domains are conceptually and logically similar to each other; wherein the elemental processes in an enterprise are based on any of a physical or logical network, a conceptual network, and organizational structures; and extending self similarity to all layers in said network, wherein a smallest element is structurally a single sensor, actuator, or compute element, and functionally a single transaction between two elemental nodes; performing pervasive and persistent business risk and security monitoring to adapt to evolving situational intelligence comprising of any and all normative and anomalous values, and state information and activities in the OT, IT, and ST systems; providing autonomous and adaptive business and operational control capabilities, capacities, and security postures of target systems, subsystems, and elements at a plurality of hierarchical levels of said networks; monitoring real-time conditions, values, state information, and activities on said network elements, as well as elements of underlying enterprise business processes that are affected if and when security of an element is breached or business processes compromised; dynamically adapting said security monitoring and control capabilities, capacities, and postures at selected hierarchical levels and at selected time scales in response to enterprise situational knowledge and knowledge about domain specific normative models that is relevant to said OT, IT, and ST systems, as well as subsystems and elements of said systems with regard to said underlying business processes; wherein said situational knowledge comprises any of situational changes in value, state, capabilities, capacities in monitoring, decision making, and control implementations, and adjustments thereof, and other transitions in any of said OT systems, IT systems, ST systems. and operational, business and, security threat environment; wherein said hierarchical levels range from an entire enterprise-wide network at a highest level to a single transaction at a lowest level; and wherein said perimeters are logically around an entire enterprise-wide network at a highest level to a single computer or end device at a lowest level; providing a threat and vulnerability analysis processor for dynamically executing a formal computational algorithm in response to dynamic input from other systems and environments to derive a ranked list of business functions subject to threats; and producing a dynamic output for use either stand-alone for enterprise operation, business, and security risk management or integrated into a pervasive framework to provide real-time and dynamic feed back into coordinated learning and rule engines determining next step control postures.