Data-Centric Threat Modeling Delivers Validated Cybersecurity

This paper presents the outcomes of a Department of Defense (DoD)-funded project aimed at transforming and elevating the importance of data-centric cybersecurity in Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE). We introduce a novel plugin for Dassault Systemes’ Cameo System Modeler™, designed to enhance cybersecurity management through advanced modeling constructs. This plugin uniquely integrates STRIDE policy representations, facilitating the streamlined validation and generation of security artifacts. A key feature is its support for the Object Management Group's (OMG) Data Distribution Service (DDS) framework, which is widely used in defense systems. The plugin not only automates the generation and validation of DDS Security configurations but also significantly reduces error rates and simplifies the deployment of large-scale systems. We demonstrate its utility through a comprehensive use case, highlighting its potential to accelerate system design processes, improve security tracking, and enhance artifact production. This innovation represents a significant advance in cybersecurity modeling, offering improved efficiency, accuracy, and security in developing defense systems, and is set to enable the deployment of more secure system architectures.