1.7 Cybersecurity of Power Facilities: Past, Present, and Future
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system for remote troubleshooting and maintenance. Having facilitated the maintenance work of the staff such rather standard technique may further create very severe
vulnerability for the system, particularly if this is part of the operation performed by
special services of potential adversary.
Relevant aspect of assuring cybersecurity is survivability analysis.
Survivability of computer systems is defined as ability of the system to perform
major functions (tasks) at confronting malicious attack, destruction of the components, and natural calamity.
Analysis of computer system survivability is an attempt of the expert to evaluate system resistance destruction caused by cyberattack of stand-alone server (with
charged microcircuit). In the environment of routine normal events, the reliability is
characterized by the ability of computer system to assure main functions of NPP’s
equipment where it is incorporated. In the context of the aforegoing, the analysis of
the computer system survivability should be targeted at response to ever—increasing
threats of cyberattacks whereas the study of the standard tolerance to failure and
respective dependences should be focused at other spheres of research.
In the course of computer systems survivability analysis there should be estimated
four key aspects of its security effectiveness [39]:
– Resistance of the system to any kind of attack—external or internal (actuation of
hardware Trojan);
– Recognition and identification of the attack, estimation of possible damages and
their consequences;
– Corruption of relevant function, possibility, and ways of its complete restoration;
– Adaptation and upgrading of the system for protection against similar attacks in
future.
The description demonstrates clearly that analysis of survivability of computer
system is overlapping many branches of classic informatics including program reliability, fail safety, development of software, and computer security. The process of
survivability analysis is exclusive because it is targeted at assuring stability of major
function of computer systems when attacks happen.
It is mandatory here to set and solve absolutely new scientific and technical
problem the experts on NPP computer security previously have not focused their
efforts at.
This is the development and practical implementation of safe (reliable) methods
of computer systems designing with application of the method named “designing of
reliable systems out of unreliable components.” The idea of this new approach will be
demonstrated below on the example of designing “architectures and secured systems”
on chip (SoC). Should such method is used then computer-based system shall remain
serviceable even in case it incorporates one or even a few active hardware Trojans.
It will surely necessitate reviewing already known numerous methods of designing
computer-based systems robust against hardware Trojans.
Re-training of personnel to computer systems shall take rather long period of
time. But for experts, it is obvious that the works in this trend need to be initiated.
87
system for remote troubleshooting and maintenance. Having facilitated the maintenance work of the staff such rather standard technique may further create very severe
vulnerability for the system, particularly if this is part of the operation performed by
special services of potential adversary.
Relevant aspect of assuring cybersecurity is survivability analysis.
Survivability of computer systems is defined as ability of the system to perform
major functions (tasks) at confronting malicious attack, destruction of the components, and natural calamity.
Analysis of computer system survivability is an attempt of the expert to evaluate system resistance destruction caused by cyberattack of stand-alone server (with
charged microcircuit). In the environment of routine normal events, the reliability is
characterized by the ability of computer system to assure main functions of NPP’s
equipment where it is incorporated. In the context of the aforegoing, the analysis of
the computer system survivability should be targeted at response to ever—increasing
threats of cyberattacks whereas the study of the standard tolerance to failure and
respective dependences should be focused at other spheres of research.
In the course of computer systems survivability analysis there should be estimated
four key aspects of its security effectiveness [39]:
– Resistance of the system to any kind of attack—external or internal (actuation of
hardware Trojan);
– Recognition and identification of the attack, estimation of possible damages and
their consequences;
– Corruption of relevant function, possibility, and ways of its complete restoration;
– Adaptation and upgrading of the system for protection against similar attacks in
future.
The description demonstrates clearly that analysis of survivability of computer
system is overlapping many branches of classic informatics including program reliability, fail safety, development of software, and computer security. The process of
survivability analysis is exclusive because it is targeted at assuring stability of major
function of computer systems when attacks happen.
It is mandatory here to set and solve absolutely new scientific and technical
problem the experts on NPP computer security previously have not focused their
efforts at.
This is the development and practical implementation of safe (reliable) methods
of computer systems designing with application of the method named “designing of
reliable systems out of unreliable components.” The idea of this new approach will be
demonstrated below on the example of designing “architectures and secured systems”
on chip (SoC). Should such method is used then computer-based system shall remain
serviceable even in case it incorporates one or even a few active hardware Trojans.
It will surely necessitate reviewing already known numerous methods of designing
computer-based systems robust against hardware Trojans.
Re-training of personnel to computer systems shall take rather long period of
time. But for experts, it is obvious that the works in this trend need to be initiated.