Distributed algorithms provide flexibility over centralized algorithms for
resource allocation problems, e.g., cyber-physical systems. However, the
distributed nature of these algorithms often makes the systems susceptible to
man-in-the-middle attacks, especially when messages are transmitted between
price-taking agents and a central coordinator. We propose a resilient strategy
for distributed algorithms under the framework of primal-dual distributed
optimization. We formulate a robust optimization model that accounts for
Byzantine attacks on the communication channels between agents and coordinator.
We propose a resilient primal-dual algorithm using state-of-the-art robust
statistics methods. The proposed algorithm is shown to converge to a
neighborhood of the robust optimization model, where the neighborhood's radius
is proportional to the fraction of attacked channels.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figure, accepted to CDC 201
