Cybersecure Modular Open Architecture Software Systems for Stimulating Innovation

Abstract

Our interest is to stimulate the development of innovative approaches to continuously assuring the cybersecurity of open architecture (OA) software systems. We focus on exploring the potential for using blockchains and smart contract techniques and how these techniques can be applied to support acquisition efforts for software systems for OA command and control, or business enterprise (C2/B) systems. We further limit our focus to examining the routine software system updates to OA software configuration specifications that arise during the development and evolution processes arising during system acquisition. We discuss new ways and means by which blockchains and smart contracts can be used to continuously assure the cybersecurity of software updates arising during OA software system development and evolution processes. We present a case study examining the software evolution process that updates an OA C2/B system to describe these details. We then discuss some consequences that follow for what emerges from these innovations in the expanded scope of cybersecurity assurance of not just the delivered OA C2/B software systems, but also in the engineering processes which create, transform, or otherwise update technical data that is central to the acquisition of OA software systems.