Applying practical formal methods to the specification and analysis of security properties

Abstract

The SCR (Software Cost Reduction) toolset contains tools for specifying, debugging, and verifying system and software requirements. The utility of the SCR tools in detecting specification errors, many involving safety properties, has been demonstrated recently in projects involving practical systems, such as the International Space Station, a flight guidance system, and a U.S. weapons system. This paper briefly describes our experience in applying the tools in the development of two secure systems: a communications device and a biometrics standard for user authentication.