A quantitative method for evaluating network security based on attack graph

Abstract

With the rapid development of network, network security issues become increasingly important. It is a tough challenge to evaluate the network security due to the increasing vulnerabilities. In this paper, we propose a quantitative method for evaluating network security based on attack graph. We quantify the importance of nodes and the maximum reachable probability of nodes, and construct a security evaluation function to calculate the security risk score. Our approach focuses on the attacker’s view and considers the most important factors that may affect the network security. The parameters we use are easily to be acquired in any network. Thus, the assessment score gotten through the evaluation function can comprehensively reflect the security level. According to the security risk value, security professionals can take appropriate countermeasures to harden the network. Experimental results prove that this model solves the security evaluation problem efficiently.