Multilevel Runtime Verification for Safety and Security Critical Cyber Physical Systems from a Model Based Engineering Perspective

Advanced embedded system technology is one of the key driving forces behind the rapid growth of Cyber-Physical System (CPS) applications. CPS consists of multiple coordinating and cooperating components, which are often software-intensive and interact with each other to achieve unprecedented tasks. Such highly integrated CPSs have complex interaction failures, attack surfaces, and attack vectors that we have to protect and secure against. This dissertation advances the state-of-the-art by developing a multilevel runtime monitoring approach for safety and security critical CPSs where there are monitors at each level of processing and integration. Given that computation and data processing vulnerabilities may exist at multiple levels in an embedded CPS, it follows that solutions present at the levels where the faults or vulnerabilities originate are beneficial in timely detection of anomalies. Further, increasing functional and architectural complexity of critical CPSs have significant safety and security operational implications. These challenges are leading to a need for new methods where there is a continuum between design time assurance and runtime or operational assurance. Towards this end, this dissertation explores Model Based Engineering methods by which design assurance can be carried forward to the runtime domain, creating a shared responsibility for reducing the overall risk associated with the system at operation. Therefore, a synergistic combination of Verification & Validation at design time and runtime monitoring at multiple levels is beneficial in assuring safety and security of critical CPS. Furthermore, we realize our multilevel runtime monitor framework on hardware using a stream-based runtime verification language

Modeling and Detecting False Data Injection Attacks against Railway Traction Power Systems

Modern urban railways extensively use computerized sensing and control technologies to achieve safe, reliable, and well-timed operations. However, the use of these technologies may provide a convenient leverage to cyber-attackers who have bypassed the air gaps and aim at causing safety incidents and service disruptions. In this paper, we study false data injection (FDI) attacks against railways' traction power systems (TPSes). Specifically, we analyze two types of FDI attacks on the train-borne voltage, current, and position sensor measurements - which we call efficiency attack and safety attack -- that (i) maximize the system's total power consumption and (ii) mislead trains' local voltages to exceed given safety-critical thresholds, respectively. To counteract, we develop a global attack detection (GAD) system that serializes a bad data detector and a novel secondary attack detector designed based on unique TPS characteristics. With intact position data of trains, our detection system can effectively detect the FDI attacks on trains' voltage and current measurements even if the attacker has full and accurate knowledge of the TPS, attack detection, and real-time system state. In particular, the GAD system features an adaptive mechanism that ensures low false positive and negative rates in detecting the attacks under noisy system measurements. Extensive simulations driven by realistic running profiles of trains verify that a TPS setup is vulnerable to the FDI attacks, but these attacks can be detected effectively by the proposed GAD while ensuring a low false positive rate.Comment: IEEE/IFIP DSN-2016 and ACM Trans. on Cyber-Physical System

The 1st Advanced Manufacturing Student Conference (AMSC21) Chemnitz, Germany 15–16 July 2021

The Advanced Manufacturing Student Conference (AMSC) represents an educational format designed to foster the acquisition and application of skills related to Research Methods in Engineering Sciences. Participating students are required to write and submit a conference paper and are given the opportunity to present their findings at the conference. The AMSC provides a tremendous opportunity for participants to practice critical skills associated with scientific publication. Conference Proceedings of the conference will benefit readers by providing updates on critical topics and recent progress in the advanced manufacturing engineering and technologies and, at the same time, will aid the transfer of valuable knowledge to the next generation of academics and practitioners. *** The first AMSC Conference Proceeding (AMSC21) addressed the following topics: Advances in “classical” Manufacturing Technologies, Technology and Application of Additive Manufacturing, Digitalization of Industrial Production (Industry 4.0), Advances in the field of Cyber-Physical Systems, Virtual and Augmented Reality Technologies throughout the entire product Life Cycle, Human-machine-environment interaction and Management and life cycle assessment.:- Advances in “classical” Manufacturing Technologies - Technology and Application of Additive Manufacturing - Digitalization of Industrial Production (Industry 4.0) - Advances in the field of Cyber-Physical Systems - Virtual and Augmented Reality Technologies throughout the entire product Life Cycle - Human-machine-environment interaction - Management and life cycle assessmen

Preliminary design of a Flox disconnect for a Flox-Atlas vehicle Final report

Fluorine-liquid oxygen disconnect for Atlas launch vehicle oxidizer syste