Nature-inspired survivability: Prey-inspired survivability countermeasures for cloud computing security challenges

As cloud computing environments become complex, adversaries have become highly sophisticated and unpredictable. Moreover, they can easily increase attack power and persist longer before detection. Uncertain malicious actions, latent risks, Unobserved or Unobservable risks (UUURs) characterise this new threat domain. This thesis proposes prey-inspired survivability to address unpredictable security challenges borne out of UUURs. While survivability is a well-addressed phenomenon in non-extinct prey animals, applying prey survivability to cloud computing directly is challenging due to contradicting end goals. How to manage evolving survivability goals and requirements under contradicting environmental conditions adds to the challenges. To address these challenges, this thesis proposes a holistic taxonomy which integrate multiple and disparate perspectives of cloud security challenges. In addition, it proposes the TRIZ (Teorija Rezbenija Izobretatelskib Zadach) to derive prey-inspired solutions through resolving contradiction. First, it develops a 3-step process to facilitate interdomain transfer of concepts from nature to cloud. Moreover, TRIZ’s generic approach suggests specific solutions for cloud computing survivability. Then, the thesis presents the conceptual prey-inspired cloud computing survivability framework (Pi-CCSF), built upon TRIZ derived solutions. The framework run-time is pushed to the user-space to support evolving survivability design goals. Furthermore, a target-based decision-making technique (TBDM) is proposed to manage survivability decisions. To evaluate the prey-inspired survivability concept, Pi-CCSF simulator is developed and implemented. Evaluation results shows that escalating survivability actions improve the vitality of vulnerable and compromised virtual machines (VMs) by 5% and dramatically improve their overall survivability. Hypothesis testing conclusively supports the hypothesis that the escalation mechanisms can be applied to enhance the survivability of cloud computing systems. Numeric analysis of TBDM shows that by considering survivability preferences and attitudes (these directly impacts survivability actions), the TBDM method brings unpredictable survivability information closer to decision processes. This enables efficient execution of variable escalating survivability actions, which enables the Pi-CCSF’s decision system (DS) to focus upon decisions that achieve survivability outcomes under unpredictability imposed by UUUR

Assessing and augmenting SCADA cyber security: a survey of techniques

SCADA systems monitor and control critical infrastructures of national importance such as power generation and distribution, water supply, transportation networks, and manufacturing facilities. The pervasiveness, miniaturisations and declining costs of internet connectivity have transformed these systems from strictly isolated to highly interconnected networks. The connectivity provides immense benefits such as reliability, scalability and remote connectivity, but at the same time exposes an otherwise isolated and secure system, to global cyber security threats. This inevitable transformation to highly connected systems thus necessitates effective security safeguards to be in place as any compromise or downtime of SCADA systems can have severe economic, safety and security ramifications. One way to ensure vital asset protection is to adopt a viewpoint similar to an attacker to determine weaknesses and loopholes in defences. Such mind sets help to identify and fix potential breaches before their exploitation. This paper surveys tools and techniques to uncover SCADA system vulnerabilities. A comprehensive review of the selected approaches is provided along with their applicability

Cross-layer Approach for Designing Resilient (Sociotechnical, Cyber-Physical, Software-intensive and Systems of) Systems

Our society’s critical infrastructures are sociotechnical cyber-physical systems (CPS) increasingly using open networks for operation. The vulnerabilities of the software deployed in the new control system infrastructure will expose the control system to many potential risks and threats from attackers. This paper starts to develop an information systems design theory for resilient software-intensive systems (DT4RS) so that communities developing and operating different security technologies can share knowledge and best practices using a common frame of reference. By a sound design theory, the outputs of these communities will combine to create more resilient systems, with fewer vulnerabilities and an improved stakeholder sense of security and welfare. The main element of DT4RS is a multi-layered reference architecture of the human, software (cyber) and platform (physical) layers of a cyber-physical system. The layered architecture can facilitate the understanding of the cross-layer interactions between the layers. Cyber security properties are leveraged to help analyzing the interactions between these layers

Security aspects of SCADA and DCS environments

Abstract SCADA Systems can be seen as a fundamental component in Critical Infrastructures, having an impact in the overall performance of other Critical Infrastructures interconnected. Currently, these systems include in their network designs different types of Information and Communication Technology systems (such as the Internet and wireless technologies), not only to modernize operational processes but also to ensure automation and real-time control. Nonetheless, the use of these new technologies will bring new security challenges, which will have a significant impact on both the business process and home users. Therefore, the main purpose of this Chapter is to address these issues and to analyze the interdependencies of Process Control Systems with ICT systems, to discuss some security aspects and to offer some possible solutions and recommendations

Virtual network security: threats, countermeasures, and challenges

Network virtualization has become increasingly prominent in recent years. It enables the creation of network infrastructures that are specifically tailored to the needs of distinct network applications and supports the instantiation of favorable environments for the development and evaluation of new architectures and protocols. Despite the wide applicability of network virtualization, the shared use of routing devices and communication channels leads to a series of security-related concerns. It is necessary to provide protection to virtual network infrastructures in order to enable their use in real, large scale environments. In this paper, we present an overview of the state of the art concerning virtual network security. We discuss the main challenges related to this kind of environment, some of the major threats, as well as solutions proposed in the literature that aim to deal with different security aspects.Network virtualization has become increasingly prominent in recent years. It enables the creation of network infrastructures that are specifically tailored to the needs of distinct network applications and supports the instantiation of favorable environme61CNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICORNP - REDE NACIONAL DE ENSINO E PESQUISAFAPERGS - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DO RIO GRANDE DO SULsem informaçãosem informaçãosem informaçã

On the Definition of Cyber-Physical Resilience in Power Systems

In recent years, advanced sensors, intelligent automation, communication networks, and information technologies have been integrated into the electric grid to enhance its performance and efficiency. Integrating these new technologies has resulted in more interconnections and interdependencies between the physical and cyber components of the grid. Natural disasters and man-made perturbations have begun to threaten grid integrity more often. Urban infrastructure networks are highly reliant on the electric grid and consequently, the vulnerability of infrastructure networks to electric grid outages is becoming a major global concern. In order to minimize the economic, social, and political impacts of power system outages, the grid must be resilient. The concept of a power system cyber-physical resilience centers around maintaining system states at a stable level in the presence of disturbances. Resilience is a multidimensional property of the electric grid, it requires managing disturbances originating from physical component failures, cyber component malfunctions, and human attacks. In the electric grid community, there is not a clear and universally accepted definition of cyber-physical resilience. This paper focuses on the definition of resilience for the electric grid and reviews key concepts related to system resilience. This paper aims to advance the field not only by adding cyber-physical resilience concepts to power systems vocabulary, but also by proposing a new way of thinking about grid operation with unexpected disturbances and hazards and leveraging distributed energy resources.Comment: 20 pages. This is a modified versio

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

Recovery Model for Survivable System through Resource Reconfiguration

A survivable system is able to fulfil its mission in a timely manner, in the presence of attacks, failures, or accidents. It has been realized that it is not always possible to anticipate every type of attack or failure or accident in a system, and to predict and protect against those threats. Consequently, recovering back from any damage caused by threats becomes an important attention to be taken into account. This research proposed another recovery model to enhance system survivability. The model focuses on how to preserve the system and resume its critical service while incident occurs by reconfiguring the damaged critical service resources based on available resources without affecting the stability and functioning of the system. There are three critical requisite conditions in this recovery model: the number of pre-empted non-critical service resources, the response time of resource allocation, and the cost of reconfiguration, which are used in some scenarios to find and re-allocate the available resource for the reconfiguration. A brief specifications using Z language are also explored as a preliminary proof before the implementation .. To validate the viability of the approach, two instance cases studies of real-time system, delivery units of post office and computer system of a company, are provided in ensuring the durative running of critical service. The adoption of fault-tolerance and survivability using redundancy re-allocation in this recovery model is discussed from a new perspective. Compared to the closest work done by other researchers, it is shown that the model can solve not only single fault and can reconfigure the damage resource with minimum disruption to other services