Glossary

Terms in CFSE have precise meanings. When a term appears in the spec, it carries the definition below.

Core Terms#

Term	Definition
Artifact	A documented unit of CFSE output
World Model	The conceptual map of a system's building blocks and rules
Logic Layer	Abstract security rules independent of implementation
Implementation Layer	Concrete code/config that realizes the logic layer

Artifacts#

Term	Definition
Concept	A fundamental building block representing a system entity
Interaction	A single-step operation between concepts
Flow	A multi-step legitimate sequence achieving a goal
Scenario	A testable vulnerability hypothesis
Exploration	A concrete test comparing BASE and ATT behavior
Finding	A confirmed vulnerability with evidence
Predicate	An atomic boolean condition
Invariant	A rule that MUST always hold true
Entry Point	A first-class surface artifact (EP-*) describing how a surface is accessed, what it can expose, and where it is tangible
PRJ	Projection artifact (PRJ-*) describing what a viewer-context sees across one or more surfaces
Generator	A reusable pattern for creating scenarios
Patch	A documented fix with verification

States and Verdicts#

Term	Definition
HOLDS	Invariant state: the invariant is satisfied
VIOLATED	Invariant state: the invariant is not satisfied
UNKNOWN	Invariant state: could not determine
NOT_APPLICABLE	Invariant state: the invariant does not apply in context
VIOLATION_CONFIRMED	Exploration verdict: attack hypothesis succeeded (invariant violated)
ENFORCEMENT_CONFIRMED	Exploration verdict: attack blocked as expected (invariant enforced)
INCONCLUSIVE	Exploration verdict: results ambiguous
BLOCKED	Exploration verdict: could not execute due to environment/tooling constraints

Methodologies#

Term	Definition
CIA	Concept Interaction Analysis - systematic interaction discovery
Delta Analysis	Comparison method isolating single-variable differences
4V	Verify, Validate, Vaccinate, Valuate - patch methodology
BASE	Legitimate user behavior in exploration
ATT	Attack behavior in exploration

Modeling Helpers#

Term	Definition
tangible_locations	Field listing concrete access locators for a surface (URLs, CLI invocations, etc.), intended for scoping and testing

Document Types#

Term	Definition
Normative	Spec content defining requirements (uses SHALL/MUST)
Informative	Spec content providing guidance (non-binding)
Derivative	Content generated from normative definitions