Fuzzy-Based Quantitative Security Risk Assessment Under Uncertainty for Critical Sectors  

Fuzzy-Based Quantitative Security Risk Assessment Under Uncertainty for Critical Sectors | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Fuzzy-Based Quantitative Security Risk Assessment Under Uncertainty for Critical Sectors Sandeep Pirbhulal, Ankur Shukla, Basel Katt, Habtamu Abie This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9033964/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The recent digital transformation has significantly impacted telecommunication and electronics sectors, as well as Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT), across various stages including design, deployment, and operation. These advancements have been utilized across a wide range of Internet of Things (IoT)-based critical sectors such as healthcare, transportation, automotive, smart grids, and aerospace. A primary requirement for the effective operation of these critical applications is the identification of potential security risks and the systematic application of methods to mitigate these risks. In this paper, we propose a fuzzy-based risk assessment method that utilizes two key metrics: security requirements and vulnerability, to evaluate the risk level of the complex systems. The proposed methodology is quantitative and well-suited to address the uncertainties and complexities inherent in the risk assessment process. We applied this method to Representational State Transfer Application Programming Interface (REST API) data to evaluate the framework. To manage the identified risks effectively, we also conducted a sensitivity analysis on security requirements to pinpoint the most critical ones. This analysis revealed that authentication and input sanitization are among the most sensitive security requirements, indicating that marginal deviations or latent vulnerabilities in these areas could significantly affect the overall security posture. The proposed risk assessment method offers substantial benefits for the identification and prioritization of security risks, thereby enabling organizations to allocate resources more effectively and enhance their overall security posture. IoT fuzzy profile risk assessment REST API Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 18 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 11 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 11 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 04 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9033964","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":606313992,"identity":"6d5b1514-a35d-47e8-938d-72d4c4cfcc05","order_by":0,"name":"Sandeep Pirbhulal","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAoElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYJACCSCWI12LMelaEhuIVi7ffvbgjQ8Vd9K3Sx9ge/CBGC0GZ/KSLWeceZa7sy+B3XAGUVoYcsykedsO5244w8AmzUOUw/rfmEn//Xc43YBoLQw3gLYwNhxOIF6LwY03xpY9x54ZbjjD2CZJlF/k+3MMb/youSNvcIb5mARRIQYFB4CYsYEEDRAto2AUjIJRMApwAABVUDGf/x4FtQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Norwegian Computing Center","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sandeep","middleName":"","lastName":"Pirbhulal","suffix":""},{"id":606313993,"identity":"20ef9fc5-fd49-42f9-9559-28877969efef","order_by":1,"name":"Ankur Shukla","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Institute for Energy Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ankur","middleName":"","lastName":"Shukla","suffix":""},{"id":606313994,"identity":"a0360648-2fca-4b9b-bf4b-4bdba22d89c2","order_by":2,"name":"Basel Katt","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Norwegian University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Basel","middleName":"","lastName":"Katt","suffix":""},{"id":606313996,"identity":"ddbda51d-42fb-44d7-ad71-d82b81662671","order_by":3,"name":"Habtamu Abie","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Norwegian Computing Center","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Habtamu","middleName":"","lastName":"Abie","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-04 21:53:12","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9033964/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9033964/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":104835398,"identity":"c973fc13-1555-4f1c-a298-9f8e3ad92ea7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-17 17:44:33","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":807210,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript04.03.2026.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9033964/v1_covered_53afe760-b498-45ff-bcaa-f3ba7af24ea6.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Fuzzy-Based Quantitative Security Risk Assessment Under Uncertainty for Critical Sectors ","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"international-journal-of-information-security","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"ijis","sideBox":"Learn more about [International Journal of Information Security](http://link.springer.com/journal/10207)","snPcode":"10207","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/10207/3","title":"International Journal of Information Security","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"IoT, fuzzy profile, risk assessment, REST API","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9033964/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9033964/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe recent digital transformation has significantly impacted telecommunication and electronics sectors, as well as Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT), across various stages including design, deployment, and operation. 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