Approach for identification and analysis of human vulnerabilities in protecting telecommunications infrastructure
Anil P. Macwan · Bell Labs Technical Journal · 2004
Following the events of September 11, 2001, the federal government has worked with the telecommunications industry to focus on protecting the communications infrastructure. A key focus has been identifying vulnerabilities and addressing them either by preventing one or more vulnerabilities from being exploited or by mitigating the effects of potential events. Besides hardware and software, reliability and security approaches include humans as an important aspect of networks. The human element has been the subject of study by groups sponsored by the Federal Communications Commission. This letter describes an approach for identification and analysis of human vulnerabilities. The letter categorizes and describes various vulnerabilities associated with human behavior based on a model that includes human factors, behavioral aspects, and organizational aspects as they apply to humans. In addition, the letter presents a brief description of how to incorporate vulnerabilities into risk analyses.