Very Small Entities (VSEs): Outsourcing Risk to the Supply Chain Is Placing Systems Security Engineering on a Clay Foundation, but Playing Games May Help

Abstract

This article addresses the inherent risk in a supply chain that comprises primarily Very Small Entities (VSE) with little to no security proficiency and limited resources and incentive to prioritize system security. In a globalized economy based on outsourcing and risk‐sharing, most engineering activities occur in the smallest companies, even for large and complex projects. The Future of Systems Engineering initiative (FuSE) appropriately has agility at the core of its Systems Security Engineering (SSE) foundation concepts, and VSEs are by their very nature agile. However, the line between agility and chaos may be thin, and engineers at VSEs must often accept a level of restraint and rigidity beyond their comfort level to achieve functional agility. The primary challenge in VSEs is adding structure without the necessary resources to enforce compliance manually. We propose that VSE focus their initial efforts on FuSE SSE Foundation Concepts that play into their nature and strengths as dynamic human social activity systems. Improvements in security proficiency and stakeholder alignment do not necessarily require much formal structure, and digital tools combined with social strategies can add structure to a resource‐constrained environment. Games can be excellent low‐cost tools to provide structure while minimizing resistance, and Agile Model‐Based Systems Engineering (AMBSE) using digital models can support automated enforcement. Here we use the card game Elevation of Privilege (EoP) as an example. Within the context of a SysML Threat Model integrated into a larger System Model, players naturally treat security requirements as traceable functional requirements. Automated model validation, re‐usable components and patterns enforce a Zero‐Trust architecture, a sufficiently formal trust model to provide evidence‐based assurance, yet achievable for small companies with limited resources.