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Based on the proven data flow diagram syntax, learn the basics in minutes and start modeling immediately.
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Architecture-Based Analysis
Integrates with the Palladio Software Architecture Simulator to support system-level design-time security analysis.
Built for Extensibility
An open-source framework with a simple analysis mechanism and stable interfaces to integrate third-party diagram notations.
Identify Security Flaws
Analyze confidentiality, integrity, and other information security properties by reusing simple yet versatile security annotations.
A Unified Model for Data Flow Diagrams
Our approach to data flow diagrams unifies previous modeling approaches and provides and concise syntax to express the information security of software systems. We build on the 1979 DeMarco notation comprising data sources, sinks, flows, and files. To enable security-related analysis, we extend the notation by input and output pins, behaviors, and means to characterize data and nodes using labels. See the wiki for more information.
Expressing and Analyzing Information Security Requirements
Our analysis utilizes label propagation to analyze the characteristics of data flows. First, we extract all possible flows from data flow diagrams or other model representations such as Palladio software architecture models. Afterwards, we query these so-called Transpose Flow Graphs (TFGs) to identify violations of information security requirements that were denoted as data flow constraints. Exemplary questions are:
- Does personal data flow to unauthorized locations violating the GDPR?
- Does data leave an internal server without being encrypted first?
- Does the access to sensitive data follow Role-based Access Control (RBAC)?
- Are there any data flows that merge two distinct types of data that would void anonymity?
All aspects of the xDECAF data flow analysis framework have been scientifically published at multiple conferences and journals, e.g., the data flow diagram notation, or the core analysis algorithms. For a quick overview of the analysis framework, please see this key publication:
N. Boltz and S. Hahner, et al., "An Extensible Framework for Architecture-Based Data Flow Analysis
for Information Security",
European Conference on Software Architecture (ECSA), Springer,
2024, doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-66326-0_21.