Transparency from a system security engineering design perspective

Transparency is an evolving principle of systems security engineering that can assist advanced technology systems (ATSs) in meeting operational objectives and performance requirements without the restrictions usually encountered in making a system secure. The transparency principle focuses on the ability of an ATS to function simultaneously in a variety of modes distributed across the overall system. This approach allows system security functions to be integrated and matrixed with the other functions rather than federated into exclusive hardware/software functions. The objective of systems security engineering then includes using the inherent capabilities of an advanced technology system to provide built-in layers of protection while at the same time distributing the securing functions across the system from its architecture to its components. In this way, ATS design can be optimized, costs can be contained, and its integrated security becomes transparent to users.<>