7. Foundations of Security Patterns

Abstract

In this book we apply the pattern paradigm for improving security. Security patterns are a solution to the human factor problems stated in Section 4 and Section 5. Namely, they help to solve security problems avoiding repair-service behavior and ad-hoc solutions. Taking patterns into account, side effects and time dependencies can be identified more systematically. As security patterns contain expert’s “wisdom” they increase security know-how and awareness. Even for experts they are a powerful vehicle to work more efficiently at a higher level of abstraction. As such security patterns fill a gap between theory and the code of practice. The identification of their limitations for being suitable as a security improvement artifact draws up the research agenda for this book.