Evidence of Assurance: Laying the Foundation for a Credible Security Case
• SEI Report
Publisher
Software Engineering Institute
Topic or Tag
Abstract
A security case bears considerable resemblance to a legal case, and demonstrates that security claims about a given system are valid. Persuasive argumentation plays a major role, but the credibility of the arguments and of the security case itself ultimately rests on a foundation of evidence. This article describes and gives examples of several of the kinds of evidence that can contribute to a security case. Our main focus is on how to understand, gather, and generate the kinds of evidence that can build a strong foundation for a credible security case.
Cite This SEI Report
Weinstock, C., & Lipson, H. (2013, August 7). Evidence of Assurance: Laying the Foundation for a Credible Security Case. Retrieved September 19, 2026, from https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/evidence-of-assurance-laying-the-foundation-for-a-credible-security-case/.
@techreport{weinstock_2013,
author={Weinstock, Charles and Lipson, Howard},
title={Evidence of Assurance: Laying the Foundation for a Credible Security Case},
month={Aug},
year={2013},
institution={Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University},
url={https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/evidence-of-assurance-laying-the-foundation-for-a-credible-security-case/},
note={Accessed: 2026-Sep-19}
}
Weinstock, Charles, and Howard Lipson. "Evidence of Assurance: Laying the Foundation for a Credible Security Case." Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, August 7, 2013. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/evidence-of-assurance-laying-the-foundation-for-a-credible-security-case/.
C. Weinstock, and H. Lipson, "Evidence of Assurance: Laying the Foundation for a Credible Security Case," Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, 7-Aug-2013 [Online]. Available: https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/evidence-of-assurance-laying-the-foundation-for-a-credible-security-case/. [Accessed: 19-Sep-2026].
Weinstock, Charles, and Howard Lipson. "Evidence of Assurance: Laying the Foundation for a Credible Security Case." Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute, 7 Aug. 2013. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/evidence-of-assurance-laying-the-foundation-for-a-credible-security-case/. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.
Weinstock, Charles; & Lipson, Howard. Evidence of Assurance: Laying the Foundation for a Credible Security Case. Software Engineering Institute. 2013. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/evidence-of-assurance-laying-the-foundation-for-a-credible-security-case/