As the world becomes increasingly dependent on interconnected vehicles, IoT devices, and smart infrastructures, risk assessment must keep pace with the evolving threat landscape. The REWIRE Project introduces an innovative Continuous and Modular Risk Assessment (CMRA) approach that redefines how organisations identify and mitigate cyber risks. This blog explores how REWIRE’s CMRA ensures dynamic adaptation, modular deployment, and scalability.
Firstly of all, the concept of continuity is essential because risks do not remain static. They change in real time as new vulnerabilities are discovered, adversaries adjust their strategies, and system configurations evolve. A periodic assessment might capture a snapshot of risk at one point in time but is quickly outdated. Only continuous assessment can maintain relevance in such a volatile environment.
Equally important is modularity. Different sectors, such as automotive, healthcare, and aerospace, each present unique risk profiles. A modular framework allows risk assessment to be tailored for these diverse environments without the need for complete redesign.
The CMRA Framework
The continuous aspect of REWIRE’s CMRA is achieved through the automated updating of risk profiles. Whenever vulnerabilities are discovered, configurations are changed, or threat intelligence reveals new tactics, the risk profile is recalibrated. Runtime monitoring data is also incorporated to provide a live operational context. The effect is that the risk assessment always reflects the current conditions of the system, rather than a past snapshot.
The modular design encapsulates each component of risk assessment into its own unit. Vulnerability discovery, scoring, prioritisation, and policy adaptation all exist as modules. This makes it easy to replace, upgrade, or customise them depending on sectoral needs. In automotive, for example, the modules are adapted to prioritise safety-critical subsystems such as braking or steering, whereas in aerospace, the focus is shifted towards flight control systems.
Conclusion
By combining continuous monitoring with modular adaptability, REWIRE delivers a risk assessment framework capable of keeping pace with the rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape.
The unique advantages of REWIRE’s approach are considerable. Adaptability allows the risk models to fit the environment they are deployed in. Scalability ensures that risks across thousands of interconnected devices can be assessed without excessive overhead. Efficiency is achieved by automating updates and reducing reliance on human operators. Finally, integration with policy enforcement systems ensures that risk assessment is not an isolated process but a driver of security action.