# A Multilevel Cybersecurity and Safety Monitor for Embedded Cyber-Physical Systems

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a multilevel hierarchical cybersecurity monitor for embedded cyber-physical systems, enhancing real-time security and system resilience across various CPS architectures.

## Contribution

It proposes a novel multilevel monitor architecture that provides adaptable, real-time security for CPS, applicable across different system designs.

## Key findings

- Improves system resiliency and dependability.
- Enables online attack mitigation.
- Offers a system-agnostic security solution.

## Abstract

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are composed of various embedded subsystems and require specialized software, firmware, and hardware to coordinate with the rest of the system. These multiple levels of integration expose attack surfaces which can be susceptible to attack vectors that require novel architectural methods to effectively secure against. We present a multilevel hierarchical monitor architecture cybersecurity approach applied to a flight control system. However, the principles present in this paper apply to any CPS. Additionally, the real-time nature of these monitors allow for adaptable security, meaning that they mitigate against possible classes of attacks online. This results in an appealing bolt-on solution that is independent of different system designs. Consequently, employing such monitors leads to strengthened system resiliency and dependability of safety-critical CPS.