What is Security Chaos Engineering?

Security Chaos Engineering (SCE) is an approach to testing and improving the resilience of a system's security defenses through controlled and planned experiments. It is an extension of the broader concept of Chaos Engineering, which originated as a way to test and improve the reliability of systems by intentionally injecting faults and failures to identify weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

In simpler terms, SCE is a field rooted in the principles of Chaos Engineering. It involves conducting preemptive security experiments on a distributed system to instill assurance in the system's ability to endure and respond effectively to both tumultuous and malicious scenarios.

Security Chaos Engineering revolves around the implementation of observability and practices that enhance cyber resilience. Its objective is to reveal unforeseen vulnerabilities and uncertainties, fostering confidence in the system, ultimately elevating cyber resilience and refining observability.

When considering security incidents, the tendency is often to attribute them to specific acute events, such as a user interacting with malicious software or an attacker deploying a crypto miner payload. In the realm of resilience, these acute events are termed "pulse-type stressors," occurring over a short duration like hurricanes in the context of ecological systems. Press-type stressors, in contrast, are negative inputs that occur over longer periods of time; in ecological systems, this can include pollution, overfishing, or ocean warming. For clarity, we’ll call pulse-type stressors “acute stressors” and press-type stressors “chronic stressors”.

The drawback of solely focusing on acute stressors in complex systems is that these events alone do not push the system into failure modes. Chronic stressors, akin to background noise, gradually diminish the system's resilience over an extended timeframe—whether months or years. Consequently, when an acute event occurs, the system may lack the capacity to absorb or recover from it.

In the context of cybersecurity, chronic stressors encompass challenges like employee turnover, tool sprawl, Low-quality alert signals, continuous tool maintenance , status quo bias, inflexible procedures and prevention mindset. Acute stressors include ransomware operation, log or monitoring outage, stolen cloud admin credentials, contractual changes, kernel exploits and new vulnerabilities. While recovery from acute stressors is important, understanding and handling chronic stressors in your systems will ensure that recovery isn’t constrained.

There are many myths about resilience, such as: resilience is conflated with robustness, the ability the “bounce back” to normal after an attack; the belief that we can and should prevent failure (which is impossible); the myth that the security of each component adds up to the security of the whole system; and that creating a “security culture” fixes the “human error” problem.

Failure occurs when systems or their components deviate from their intended operation. In intricate systems, failures are both unavoidable and constant. The key lies in our preparation for these inevitable events. Failures are rarely singular; instead, they arise from the interplay of various influencing factors. These factors encompass both acute and chronic stressors, along with unforeseen events from both computers and humans.

Security Chaos Engineering (SCE) acknowledges that a resilient system is capable of functioning effend inflexible proceduresctively under diverse conditions, responding adeptly to both disruptions, such as threats, and advantageous situations. The purpose of security programs is to assist organizations in anticipating emerging risks and seizing opportunities for innovation, thereby enhancing preparedness for future incidents.

SCE adopts the perspective that failure is an inevitable aspect and transforms it into a valuable learning opportunity. Instead of attempting to prevent failure entirely, the focus shifts to prioritizing the graceful handling of failures, a strategy that aligns more effectively with organizational goals.

In conclusion, Security Chaos Engineering (SCE) emerges as a proactive and transformative approach to fortify the resilience of a system's security defenses. By building on the principles of Chaos Engineering, SCE engages in controlled experiments to uncover vulnerabilities, enhance cyber resilience, and refine observability. The recognition of acute and chronic stressors in cybersecurity, along with the acknowledgment of the inevitability of failure, underscores the need for a comprehensive and adaptive security strategy. SCE not only prepares systems to withstand disruptions but also fosters a mindset that views failure as a valuable learning opportunity. Contrary to myths surrounding resilience, SCE emphasizes the importance of understanding, preparing for, and gracefully handling failures, aligning with organizational goals and paving the way for a more secure and resilient digital landscape.