4 research outputs found
A Formulation of the Potential for Communication Condition using C2KA
An integral part of safeguarding systems of communicating agents from covert
channel communication is having the ability to identify when a covert channel
may exist in a given system and which agents are more prone to covert channels
than others. In this paper, we propose a formulation of one of the necessary
conditions for the existence of covert channels: the potential for
communication condition. Then, we discuss when the potential for communication
is preserved after the modification of system agents in a potential
communication path. Our approach is based on the mathematical framework of
Communicating Concurrent Kleene Algebra (C2KA). While existing approaches only
consider the potential for communication via shared environments, the approach
proposed in this paper also considers the potential for communication via
external stimuli.Comment: In Proceedings GandALF 2014, arXiv:1408.556
Identifying Implicit Component Interactions in Distributed Cyber-Physical Systems
Modern distributed systems and networks, like those found in cyber-physical system domains such as critical infrastructures, contain many complex interactions among their constituent software and/or hardware components. Despite extensive testing of individual components, security vulnerabilities resulting from unintended and unforeseen component interactions (so-called implicit interactions) often remain undetected. This paper presents a method for identifying the existence of implicit interactions in designs of distributed cyber-physical systems using the algebraic modeling framework known as Communicating Concurrent Kleene Algebra (C²KA). Experimental results verifying the applicability of C²KA for identifying dependencies in system designs that would otherwise be very hard to find are also presented. More broadly, this research aims to advance the specification, design, and implementation of distributed cyber-physical systems with improved cybersecurity assurance by providing a new way of thinking about the problem of implicit interactions through the application of formal methods