Class Test Revision Flashcards
What is the aim of systems and problem-solving?
To help you identify, understand, and reduce criminal risks in systems.
What is a system?
Systems are the combination of interacting elements organized to achieve one or more stated purposes.
How can we describe systems?
Systems can be simple and complex. In which simple systems has few elements, interactions and well-defined behaviour with little change over time; whereas complex systems is the opposite.
With many elements, interactions, probabilistic behaviours and evolution over time.
How can systems theory help security?
It can help by providing a holistic framework to understand and address security challenges by considering the interaction of various components and their impact on the overall system.
Why do systems matter for security? (Give 6 reasons)
- Systems can facilitate crime
- Systems can be (mis)used for crime
- Crime takes place within (eco)systems
- Systems can reduce crime
- Systems can be (mis)used to reduce crime
- Crime reduction takes place within (eco)systems
What is the difference between static and dynamic systems?
Static - The state of the system does not change, given the problem definition.
Dynamic - Any of the system’s properties changes, whether it concerns the content, structure, or attributes
What is emergence?
Emergence is the properties of the whole that the properties of constituent elements cannot solely explain.
What crime or security risks are there to occur in a system commonly?
Unauthorized access may tamper with the elements of the system. Serious consequences not only for the system but also for the stakeholders involved.
What is the difference between the content of a system and its structure?
Content of a system - the specific elements within the system
Structure - the way these elements are organized and interconnected to form the system as a whole
What are models, and why do we use them?
Model - In the POV of a given problem definition, a model is a simplified system to study another system.
We use them to help us understand what a system should do, actually does, and what a system might do in the future.
How is abstraction used in modeling?
An abstraction denotes the essential characteristics of an object and thus provides crisply defined conceptual boundaries, relative to the perspective of the user
How can we model systems?
Functional, behavioural, structural
In follow up to the ‘why models are used’ can you explain what are models for in a categorical manner? Mention 3.
Prescriptive - this is what a system should do
Descriptive - this is what a system actually does
Predictive - this is what a system might do in the future
How do we assess the usefulness of models?
All models are wrong, but some are useful.
Some models have the ability to accurately represent real world phenomena and their practical applicability is useful for providing insight.
What is a good model?
The justification is solely and precisely that is expected to work – that is, correctly to describe phenomena.
How can you tell if it is a good model?
A model can only be good (or bad) concerning a particular problem.
What are the 3 stages of abstraction?
Classification (group similar objects based on shared characteristics)
Aggregation (combines multiple elements into a single representation and reduces detail)
Generalization (identifies common patterns among various instances, making complex information more manageable)
What is the downside of abstraction?
Loss of information
What is the systems hiearchy?
Systems of systems –> Systems –> Subsystem –> Element
Name 3 type of models and their definition
Function(al) model - Captures the purpose(s) of the system in terms of the services/functions it provides to stakeholders in its operational environment
Behavioral model - Captures the interaction between system elements during the provision of its functionality
Structural model - Captures the architecture of the system in terms of the elements and their connections