English

Identifying Implicit Vulnerabilities through Personas as Goal Models

Software Engineering 2020-08-20 v2 Cryptography and Security Human-Computer Interaction

Abstract

When used in requirements processes and tools, personas have the potential to identify vulnerabilities resulting from misalignment between user expectations and system goals. Typically, however, this potential is unfulfilled as personas and system goals are captured with different mindsets, by different teams, and for different purposes. If personas are visualised as goal models, it may be easier for stakeholders to see implications of their goals being satisfied or denied, and designers to incorporate the creation and analysis of such models into the broader RE tool-chain. This paper outlines a tool-supported approach for finding implicit vulnerabilities from user and system goals by reframing personas as social goal models. We illustrate this approach with a case study where previously hidden vulnerabilities based on human behaviour were identified.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2008.04773,
  title  = {Identifying Implicit Vulnerabilities through Personas as Goal Models},
  author = {Shamal Faily and Claudia Iacob and Raian Ali and Duncan Ki-Aries},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2008.04773},
  year   = {2020}
}

Comments

SECPRE 2020 workshop pre-print

R2 v1 2026-06-23T17:46:52.580Z