Safety and Security - Fraunhofer IESE

Innovative safety and security concepts of the future

Fundamentally, safety and security are about protection and reducing the associated risks to an acceptable level. Safety and security encompass two different dimensions. Broadly speaking, the protection of people from systems on the one hand and the protection of systems from people on the other hand.

These dimensions are referred to as “safety” and “security”. Our research reflects the interplay and interaction of both disciplines. In this way, we offer a comprehensive perspective on safety and security, particularly in application domains such as mobility, industrial production, and health.

Requirements on systems engineering safety and security

In today’s fast-moving and technology-driven world, safety and security in systems are a fundamental requirement that is often also demanded by regulatory requirements and is therefore essential. Ensuring safety and security and providing corresponding evidence are among the main tasks in the development of innovative systems. This responsibility in turn drives research in this sector. “Safety and security” are two essential areas. “Safety” deals with the protection of humans and the environment from potential system hazards. In contrast, “security” comprises measures to protect systems and data from external influences.

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Safety Engineering: Minimizing risk in systems

Safety engineering aims to limit the risk associated with the operation of a system to an acceptable level. The focus is particularly on functional safety, which assesses risks in relation to system faults. With the advent of highly automated and autonomous systems, the safety of normal operation is also becoming the focus of safety considerations.

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Security Engineering: Protection against cyber-attacks

Security engineering, on the other hand, aims to protect data and the systems themselves from damage and external influences (information security). Security engineering therefore includes, among other things, methods for secure software engineering, the design and implementation of security measures, as well as the verification of their compliance and effectiveness. This area also includes the protection of the privacy of natural persons through the effective, efficient, and satisfactory implementation of data protection.

Comprehensive protection with safety and security

The Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering IESE has recognized the important role played by the intertwining of safety and security. Two specialized departments are dedicated to the areas of Safety Engineering and Security Engineering. By working together, they are developing innovative approaches for safety-security co-engineering, considering both aspects in an integrated manner in order to meet the new challenges in systems engineering.

Such integration is crucial, as there are interactions between the two disciplines that are visible both in the development process and in the properties of the systems themselves. A prominent example is that cyber-attacks on autonomous systems (security) can have a direct impact on human safety (safety).