Security of Electronic Business Applications - Structure and Quantification

The rapid growth of the commercial use of the Internet goes along with a rising need for security for both customer and merchant. As many parties and different systems are involved, security becomes a complicated issue. Therefore, the need for definition, structuring, and quantification of security arises. This paper proposes a structured approach to analyze security measures and to quantify the overall security of an electronic business application. The quantifier is calculated through a security matrix which breaks down the assessment of security into smaller parts. These parts correspond to the locations, security objectives, and implemented security mechanisms of the application. The security quantifier can be used to analyze, design the application, and to compare it with other applications.