Explication of termination semantics as a security-relevant feature in business process modeling languages

Abstract

Some business process modeling languages offer explicit constructs for expressing time-out conditions and other termination semantics with regard to process execution. However, the use of these language elements is usually optional, and most languages allow to model business processes without any time-outs or other termination conditions at all. This leads to an underspecification of execution semantics with negative impact on execution safety and security, because it remains open how processes will behave, if some of the involved process steps terminate other than expected, or do not terminate at all. The work presented in this article motivates the obligatory use of termination semantics in business process models and newly created business process modeling languages, especially in domain-specific process modeling languages. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014.