Patent ID: 9203861
Filing Date: 2015-12-01
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for determining at least one recommended hardening strategy to prevent at least one attacker from reaching at least one target insecure condition on at least one unhardened network of computers, comprising: performing, by at least one processor circuit, processing associated with obtaining at least one attack graph, the at least one attack graph comprising at least one initial condition, the at least one target insecure condition, and at least one exploit; performing, by the at least one processor circuit, processing associated with obtaining at least one allowable hardening action that disables the at least one initial condition, the at least one allowable hardening action comprising at least one security-related change for security administrators to implement; performing, by the at least one processor circuit, processing associated with obtaining costs associated with the at least one allowable hardening action; and performing, by the at least one processor circuit, processing associated with determining the at least one recommended hardening strategy from the at least one allowable hardening action wherein the at least one recommended hardening strategy is controlled by adjusting a value of at least one parameter, wherein the at least one parameter is used in at least one algorithm that balances a time to determine the at least one recommended hardening strategy and a cost of the at least one recommended hardening strategy, the at least one recommended hardening strategy utilized to transform the at least one unhardened network of computers to at least one hardened network of computers by disabling the at least one target insecure condition.