Real‐time risk analysis using Java concepts

Using new concepts, such as those on which Java is based, it is now possible to define a new framework within which risk analyses can be performed on electronic communications. In order truly to be effective, risk analyses must be done in real time, owing to the dynamic nature of open, distributed public networks. The strength of these public networks lies in the many routes available for a message to travel from point A to point B, thus ensuring that the message will be delivered. These many routes, however, also constitute the biggest security weakness in public networks, as it is impossible proactively to determine the route a message will follow. In a bid to compensate for the said weakness, this article will be devoted to a discussion on a framework in terms of which Real‐time Risk Analysis (RtRA) can, henceforth, be performed to determine a risk value for a communications session, rather than for the network components used on routes that need to be fixed and known in advance, as for conventional risk analysis. A communication session is defined as the transfer of data between two hosts; for example, exchanging e‐mail messages over open, distributed public networks RtRA produces a risk value that can be used to determine the appropriate countermeasures with which to minimise the risk associated with a communication session.