Dissecting trust and the assurance-violation dynamic

The nature of trust a party extends is first subdivided into the areas of level of trust, scopes of applicability, and definiteness. Complications that arise when considering assurance and violations of trust are covered. A framework is provided for the dynamics of trust assurance opposed by potential or actual violations. The assurance side is based on dependability concepts while the violation side has its origins in military processes and concepts. Connecting these two sides are decision processes that reflect the dynamic interaction of the trusting and trusted/distrusted parties. The paper includes an example application of the framework within the computer security domain.