SUNS Partnership Forum FAQ

  1. What do you mean by "software understanding"?

    Software Understanding refers to the rigorous practice of assessing software-controlled systems to verify or characterize their functionality, safety, and security across all conditions—normal, abnormal, and hostile. This assessment may occur during design and development, or after the fact, such as a supply chain or legacy software scenario. By “rigorous practice”, we mean to encompass multiple disciplines of science and engineering including mathematics and logic. Examples of this include but are not limited to formal methods, artificial intelligence, threat modeling, game theory, and cognitive science.

    Software-controlled systems include software running on desktops, servers, information and communications technology (ICT) systems, artificial intelligence systems, and cyber-physical systems such as: 

    • military guidance systems (e.g., GPS, radar, and inertial guidance) 
    • space systems (e.g., satellites, telescopes, and launch vehicles), 
    • manufacturing systems (e.g., industrial control systems, digital twins, and computer numerical control (CNC) machines), 
    • transportation systems (e.g., planes, trains, and automobiles), and 
    • energy grid production systems (e.g., power plants, oil refineries, and wind turbines). 

  2. What will happen during this event?

    This event will be a mix of plenary talks and break-out discussions. The break-out discussions will focus on topics such as: the problem posed to national security and critical infrastructure from software, the solution approaches we might consider, and what steps the nation needs to take to address the challenge.

  3. Are we discussing the use of formal methods during the creation of software or analyzing software after it has been constructed?

    Both. Despite great progress in the use of formal methods during software design and construction, an enormous body of legacy and third-party software will remain in use for the foreseeable future. While we should aim to improve software during creation, we cannot afford to ignore the existing and new software constructed without formal methods.

  4. Are you referring to software security, reliability, privacy, malware analysis, or something else?

    All these concerns relate to government and society’s ability to construct or analyze software with high confidence. Therefore, all are in view. Ideally, solutions would be pursued in such a way as to benefit multiple types of concerns about software. 

  5. Who will be present?

    The SUNS Partnership Forum strives for balanced representation from industry, academia, and government to foster diverse perspectives.

  6. How do I submit an idea for a talk?

    All talks at SPF-25 will be by invitation. If you have a particularly relevant idea, please email it to SUNS-PF@sos-vo.org.

  7. Can I nominate someone else to attend?

    Yes. To nominate an additional attendee, please email the following information to SUNS-PF@sos-vo.org:

    1. Prospective attendee's name
    2. Email address
    3. A brief statement explaining why they would be a good fit for the workshop

    Please note that attendance is limited to ensure productive breakout discussions.