A game theoretic approach to analysis and design of survivable and secure systems and protocols

Abstract

This paper proposes a game theoretic methodology for analysis and design of survivable and secure systems and protocols. Modem game theory provides a natural setup for dealing with adversarial situations, which may involve multiple adversaries with different objectives, resources, access and risk tolerance, e.g., hackers, terrorists, and national intelligence organizations. The solution based on the game theoretic methodology balances ease of access and cost-effectiveness on the one hand, with survivability, fault tolerance, and security on the other hand. The main methodological difficulty in developing game theoretic model of real systems is quantifications of the "rules of the game", including set of feasible strategies and utility function for each player. Computational challenges result from difficulty of solving games with realistic number of players and feasible strategies. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2003.