CSA-SACS: A Framework for Comparative Security Assessment in Smart Aging Care Systems

Smart Aging Care Systems (SACS) for independent living relies on various IoT service products to support the well-being of older adults. While research in this domain emphasizes the necessity of robust security protocols to protect this vulnerable population from cyber threats, there is a critical gap in methodologies for selecting the most suitable alternatives that meet the security requirements of SACS. This research introduces a framework, called Comparative Security Assessment in SACS (CSA-SACS). CSA-SACS evaluates the security standards of service products within SACS, integrating perspectives from multiple decision-makers, such as usability engineers and security experts. To address these evaluations’ inherent uncertainty and subjectivity, fuzzy triangular numbers are used for comparative assessments. The evaluation criteria are derived from the very recent ISO/IEC 25010:2023 standard, which encompasses conflicting elements, making the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) a suitable approach for prioritization and ensuring consistency in decision-making. CSA-SACS enables evaluators to prioritize security selection criteria based on SACS-specific requirements and an automated error-handling mechanism to improve the reliability of judgment aggregation.