{"title":"A threat modeling language for generating attack graphs of substation automation systems","authors":"Engla Rencelj Ling, Mathias Ekstedt","doi":"10.1016/j.ijcip.2023.100601","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The substation automation system consists of many different complex assets and data flows. The system is also often externally connected to allow for remote management. The complexity and remote access to the substation automation system makes it vulnerable to cyber attacks. It also makes it difficult to assess the overall security of the system. One method of assessing the potential threats against a system is threat modeling. In this paper we create a language for producing threat models specifically for the substation automation systems. We focus on the method used to create the language where we review industry designs, build the language based on existing languages and consider attack scenarios from a literature study. Finally we present the language, model two different attack scenarios and generate attack graphs from the threat models.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49057,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Critical Infrastructure Protection","volume":"41 ","pages":"Article 100601"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1000,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"1","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Critical Infrastructure Protection","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1874548223000148","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"COMPUTER SCIENCE, INFORMATION SYSTEMS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 1
Abstract
The substation automation system consists of many different complex assets and data flows. The system is also often externally connected to allow for remote management. The complexity and remote access to the substation automation system makes it vulnerable to cyber attacks. It also makes it difficult to assess the overall security of the system. One method of assessing the potential threats against a system is threat modeling. In this paper we create a language for producing threat models specifically for the substation automation systems. We focus on the method used to create the language where we review industry designs, build the language based on existing languages and consider attack scenarios from a literature study. Finally we present the language, model two different attack scenarios and generate attack graphs from the threat models.
期刊介绍:
The International Journal of Critical Infrastructure Protection (IJCIP) was launched in 2008, with the primary aim of publishing scholarly papers of the highest quality in all areas of critical infrastructure protection. Of particular interest are articles that weave science, technology, law and policy to craft sophisticated yet practical solutions for securing assets in the various critical infrastructure sectors. These critical infrastructure sectors include: information technology, telecommunications, energy, banking and finance, transportation systems, chemicals, critical manufacturing, agriculture and food, defense industrial base, public health and health care, national monuments and icons, drinking water and water treatment systems, commercial facilities, dams, emergency services, nuclear reactors, materials and waste, postal and shipping, and government facilities. Protecting and ensuring the continuity of operation of critical infrastructure assets are vital to national security, public health and safety, economic vitality, and societal wellbeing.
The scope of the journal includes, but is not limited to:
1. Analysis of security challenges that are unique or common to the various infrastructure sectors.
2. Identification of core security principles and techniques that can be applied to critical infrastructure protection.
3. Elucidation of the dependencies and interdependencies existing between infrastructure sectors and techniques for mitigating the devastating effects of cascading failures.
4. Creation of sophisticated, yet practical, solutions, for critical infrastructure protection that involve mathematical, scientific and engineering techniques, economic and social science methods, and/or legal and public policy constructs.