Quantifying Security for Networked Control Systems: A Review

TL;DR

This review paper discusses methods for quantifying vulnerabilities in Networked Control Systems (NCSs), emphasizing probabilistic risk metrics and mitigation strategies to improve resilience against cyber-attacks in critical infrastructures.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of existing vulnerability assessment methods and highlights the importance of probabilistic risk metrics in NCS security.

Findings

Emphasizes the role of probabilistic risk metrics in vulnerability assessment

Summarizes various mitigation strategies for NCS security

Outlines future research directions in NCS resilience

Abstract

Networked Control Systems (NCSs) are integral in critical infrastructures such as power grids, transportation networks, and production systems. Ensuring the resilient operation of these large-scale NCSs against cyber-attacks is crucial for societal well-being. Over the past two decades, extensive research has been focused on developing metrics to quantify the vulnerabilities of NCSs against attacks. Once the vulnerabilities are quantified, mitigation strategies can be employed to enhance system resilience. This article provides a comprehensive overview of methods developed for assessing NCS vulnerabilities and the corresponding mitigation strategies. Furthermore, we emphasize the importance of probabilistic risk metrics to model vulnerabilities under adversaries with imperfect process knowledge. The article concludes by outlining promising directions for future research.