Game Theoretic Modeling of Security and Interdependency in a Public Cloud

Abstract — As cloud computing thrives, many small organizations are joining a public cloud to take advantage of its multiple benefits. Cloud computing is cost efficient, i.e., cloud user can reduce spending on technology infrastructure and have easy access to their information without up-front or long-term commitment of resources. Moreover, a cloud user can dynamically grow and shrink the resources provisioned to an application on demand. Despite those benefits, cyber security concern is the main reason many large organizations with sensitive information such as the Department of Defense have been reluctant to join a public cloud. This is because different public cloud users share a common platform such as the hypervisor. A common platform intensifies the well-known problem of cyber security interdependency. In fact, an attacker can compromise a virtual machine (VM) to launch an attack on the hypervisor which if compromised can instantly yield the compromising of all the VMs running on top of that hypervisor. Therefore, a user that does not invest in cyber security imposes a negative externality on others. This research uses the mathematical framework of game theory to analyze the cause and effect of interdependency in a public cloud platform. This work shows that there are multiple possible Nash equilibria of the public cloud security game. However, the players use a specific Nash equilibrium profile depending on the probability that the hypervisor is compromised given a successful attack on a user and the total expense required to invest in security. Finally, there is no Nash equilibrium in which all the users in a public cloud will fully invest in security. Keywords- Cloud computing; cyber security; externalities; game theory; interdependenc

A Game Theoretic approach based virtual machine migration for cloud environment security

In cloud computing environment, static configurations can provide for the attackers an environment too easy for exploitation and discovering the network vulnerabilities in order to compromise the network and launching intrusions; while dynamic reconfiguration seeks to develop a virtual machine (VM) migration over the cloud by applying unpredictability of network configuration’s change, and thus improving the system security. In this work a novel approach that performs proactive and reactive measures to ensure a high availability and to minimize the attack surface using VM migration is proposed. This interaction between attack and defense systems was formulated as game model. As result, we have calculated the Nash equilibrium and the utilities for the both attacker and defender, evaluate the parameters which can maximize the defender’s utility when the VM migration was planned and identify the potential attack paths. Therefore, the effectiveness of the game model was validated by some numerical results that determine optimal migration strategies in order to ensure the security of the system

Cyber-physical Systems (CPS) Security: State of the Art and Research Opportunities for Information Systems Academics

Attacks on cyber-physical systems (CPS) continue to grow in frequency. However, cybersecurity academics and practitioners have so far focused primarily on computer systems and networks rather than CPS. Given the alarming frequency with which cybercriminals attack CPS and the unique cyber-physical relationship in CPS, we propose that CPS security needs go beyond what purely computer and network security requires. Thus, we require more focused research on cybersecurity based on the cyber-physical relationship between various CPS components. In this paper, we stock of the current state of CPS security and identify research opportunities for information systems (IS) academics

A Comprehensive Insight into Game Theory in relevance to Cyber Security

The progressively ubiquitous connectivity in the present information systems pose newer challenges tosecurity. The conventional security mechanisms have come a long way in securing the well-definedobjectives of confidentiality, integrity, authenticity and availability. Nevertheless, with the growth in thesystem complexities and attack sophistication, providing security via traditional means can beunaffordable. A novel theoretical perspective and an innovative approach are thus required forunderstanding security from decision-making and strategic viewpoint. One of the analytical tools whichmay assist the researchers in designing security protocols for computer networks is game theory. Thegame-theoretic concept finds extensive applications in security at different levels, including thecyberspace and is generally categorized under security games. It can be utilized as a robust mathematicaltool for modelling and analyzing contemporary security issues. Game theory offers a natural frameworkfor capturing the defensive as well as adversarial interactions between the defenders and the attackers.Furthermore, defenders can attain a deep understanding of the potential attack threats and the strategiesof attackers by equilibrium evaluation of the security games. In this paper, the concept of game theoryhas been presented, followed by game-theoretic applications in cybersecurity including cryptography.Different types of games, particularly those focused on securing the cyberspace, have been analysed andvaried game-theoretic methodologies including mechanism design theories have been outlined foroffering a modern foundation of the science of cybersecurity

Foundations of Infrastructure CPS

Infrastructures have been around as long as urban centers, supporting a society’s needs for its planning, operation, and safety. As we move deeper into the 21st century, these infrastructures are becoming smart – they monitor themselves, communicate, and most importantly self-govern, which we denote as Infrastructure CPS. Cyber-physical systems are now becoming increasingly prevalent and possibly even mainstream. With the basics of CPS in place, such as stability, robustness, and reliability properties at a systems level, and hybrid, switched, and eventtriggered properties at a network level, we believe that the time is right to go to the next step, Infrastructure CPS, which forms the focus of the proposed tutorial. We discuss three different foundations, (i) Human Empowerment, (ii) Transactive Control, and (iii) Resilience. This will be followed by two examples, one on the nexus between power and communication infrastructure, and the other between natural gas and electricity, both of which have been investigated extensively of late, and are emerging to be apt illustrations of Infrastructure CPS