SCAP Composer: A DITA Open Toolkit Plug-in for Packaging Security Content

Published

August 9, 2019

Author(s)

Joshua Lubell

Abstract

The Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP) schema for source data stream collections standardizes the requirements for packaging Extensible Markup Language (XML) security content into bundles for easy deployment. SCAP bundles must be self-contained such that each bundle contains all necessary information without external references, and reversible such that XML components are unmodified when unbundled and re-bundled into new collections. These requirements (along with the need for very long, globally unique identifiers) make authoring the content and bundling a challenge. SCAP Composer, a software application that uses a Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) specialized element type for source data stream collections, makes the authoring process easier. SCAP Composer takes an incremental approach to aiding SCAP content authors: it helps only with creating source data stream collections; it does not offer any help with creating the XML resources encapsulated in a data stream collection. SCAP Composer is implemented using the DITA Open Toolkit and can be used with any DITA authoring software that includes the Toolkit, or with a standalone Toolkit.

Proceedings Title

Balisage Series on Markup Technologies

Volume

23

Conference Dates

July 30-August 2, 2019

Conference Location

Washington, DC

Conference Title

Balisage: The Markup Conference

Pub Type

Conferences

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.4242/BalisageVol23.Lubell01

Keywords

DITA, XML, SCAP, Darwin Information Typing Architecture, Extensible Markup Language, Security Content Automation Protocol, cybersecurity, systems integration

Citation

Lubell, J. (2019), SCAP Composer: A DITA Open Toolkit Plug-in for Packaging Security Content, Balisage Series on Markup Technologies, Washington, DC, [online], https://doi.org/10.4242/BalisageVol23.Lubell01 (Accessed April 23, 2026)

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