Stress-Testing Alternative Water Quality Sensor Designs under Cyber-Physical Attack Scenarios
Water systems are rapidly transforming into cyber-physical systems. Despite the benefits of remote control and monitoring, autonomous operation and connectivity, there is an expanded threat surface, which includes cyber-physical attacks. This study demonstrates a stress-testing methodology that focu...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Environmental Sciences Proceedings |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4931/21/1/17 |
| _version_ | 1797580171478302720 |
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| author | Dionysios Nikolopoulos Georgios Moraitis George Karavokiros Dimitrios Bouziotas Christos Makropoulos |
| author_facet | Dionysios Nikolopoulos Georgios Moraitis George Karavokiros Dimitrios Bouziotas Christos Makropoulos |
| author_sort | Dionysios Nikolopoulos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Water systems are rapidly transforming into cyber-physical systems. Despite the benefits of remote control and monitoring, autonomous operation and connectivity, there is an expanded threat surface, which includes cyber-physical attacks. This study demonstrates a stress-testing methodology that focuses on assessing the performance of a contamination warning system, designed with alternative water quality (WQ) sensor placement strategies against cyber-physical attacks. The physical part of the attacks consists of backflow injection attacks with a contaminant, while the cyber part comprises cyber-attacks to the contamination warning system. The WQ sensor designs are generated with the Threat Ensemble Vulnerability Assessment and Sensor Placement Optimization Tool (TEVA-SPOT), based on optimizing various metrics. The coupled WDN and CPS operation, the deliberate contamination events, and the cyber-physical attacks, are simulated with the water system cyber-physical stress-testing platform RISKNOUGHT. Multidimensional resilience profile graphs are utilized to analyze performance, demonstrated in a benchmark case study. This type of assessment can be useful in risk assessment studies for water utilities as well as in WQ sensor placement optimization. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:47:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-af9efafe74f5443e9f964cd25a6f82e0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-4931 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:47:32Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Sciences Proceedings |
| spelling | doaj.art-af9efafe74f5443e9f964cd25a6f82e02023-11-19T10:36:57ZengMDPI AGEnvironmental Sciences Proceedings2673-49312022-10-012111710.3390/environsciproc2022021017Stress-Testing Alternative Water Quality Sensor Designs under Cyber-Physical Attack ScenariosDionysios Nikolopoulos0Georgios Moraitis1George Karavokiros2Dimitrios Bouziotas3Christos Makropoulos4Department of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 15780 Athens, GreeceDepartment of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 15780 Athens, GreeceDepartment of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 15780 Athens, GreeceKWR Water Research Institute, Groningenhaven 7, 3433 PE Nieuwegein, The NetherlandsDepartment of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 15780 Athens, GreeceWater systems are rapidly transforming into cyber-physical systems. Despite the benefits of remote control and monitoring, autonomous operation and connectivity, there is an expanded threat surface, which includes cyber-physical attacks. This study demonstrates a stress-testing methodology that focuses on assessing the performance of a contamination warning system, designed with alternative water quality (WQ) sensor placement strategies against cyber-physical attacks. The physical part of the attacks consists of backflow injection attacks with a contaminant, while the cyber part comprises cyber-attacks to the contamination warning system. The WQ sensor designs are generated with the Threat Ensemble Vulnerability Assessment and Sensor Placement Optimization Tool (TEVA-SPOT), based on optimizing various metrics. The coupled WDN and CPS operation, the deliberate contamination events, and the cyber-physical attacks, are simulated with the water system cyber-physical stress-testing platform RISKNOUGHT. Multidimensional resilience profile graphs are utilized to analyze performance, demonstrated in a benchmark case study. This type of assessment can be useful in risk assessment studies for water utilities as well as in WQ sensor placement optimization.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4931/21/1/17cyber-physical attackscyber-physical water systemswater quality sensorswater quality sensor placementresilience assessmentwater distribution networks |
| spellingShingle | Dionysios Nikolopoulos Georgios Moraitis George Karavokiros Dimitrios Bouziotas Christos Makropoulos Stress-Testing Alternative Water Quality Sensor Designs under Cyber-Physical Attack Scenarios Environmental Sciences Proceedings cyber-physical attacks cyber-physical water systems water quality sensors water quality sensor placement resilience assessment water distribution networks |
| title | Stress-Testing Alternative Water Quality Sensor Designs under Cyber-Physical Attack Scenarios |
| title_full | Stress-Testing Alternative Water Quality Sensor Designs under Cyber-Physical Attack Scenarios |
| title_fullStr | Stress-Testing Alternative Water Quality Sensor Designs under Cyber-Physical Attack Scenarios |
| title_full_unstemmed | Stress-Testing Alternative Water Quality Sensor Designs under Cyber-Physical Attack Scenarios |
| title_short | Stress-Testing Alternative Water Quality Sensor Designs under Cyber-Physical Attack Scenarios |
| title_sort | stress testing alternative water quality sensor designs under cyber physical attack scenarios |
| topic | cyber-physical attacks cyber-physical water systems water quality sensors water quality sensor placement resilience assessment water distribution networks |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4931/21/1/17 |
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