Information Technology

Summary of a Workshop on Software Certification and Dependability

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Systems on which the safety or security of individuals may depend are frequently subject to certification: a formal assurance that the system has met relevant technical standards, designed to give confidence that it has some specific properties—for example, that it will not unduly endanger the public. Today, certification of the dependability of a software-based system frequently relies at least as heavily on assessments of the process used to develop it as it does on the system's observable properties. While these assessments can be useful, few would dispute that direct evaluation of the artifact ought to provide a stronger kind of assurance than the credentials of its production methods could hope to provide. Yet the complexity of software systems, as well as their discrete nature, makes them extremely difficult to analyze unless great care has been taken with their structure and maintenance. To further understand these and related issues, the High Confidence Software and Systems Program at the National Coordination Office for Information Technology Research and Development initiated discussions with the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) of the National Research Council (NRC). These discussions resulted in agreement to undertake a study to assess the current state of certification in dependable systems, with the goal of recommending areas for improvement. Initial funding for the project was obtained from the National Science Foundation, the National Security Agency, and the Office of Naval Research. The Committee on Certifiably Dependable Software Systems was appointed to conduct the study.

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Detail Information

Series Title

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Call Number

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Publisher

: ., 2004

Collation

1-58

Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

0-309-54619-2

Classification

NONE

Content Type

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Media Type

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Carrier Type

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Edition

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Subject(s)

Summary of a Workshop on Software Certification an

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