Thoughts on information operation detection as a nonlinear, mixed-signal identification problem: a control systems view

Information operations (IO) are characterized by both the wide range of target/defended system dynamics as well as by the increased complexity of interaction of system components. This paper presents two related notions: 1) higher-level, relatively slow decision support systems can benefit from treating feedback control properties of relatively fast system processes; and 2) IO is a category of decision support systems that requires explicit treatment of the attack detection problem as a mixed-signal identification problem. Such a view of large-scale systems is a control system view since the fundamental characteristic of control system science is the study of feedback loops. The paper asserts that the IO vulnerability/survivability assessment problem is a "system of systems" problem containing feedback loops, discusses detecting IO attacks as a mixed-signal system identification problem, reviews several current design environments which support a "system of systems" approach, and discusses ideas on a testbed framework for conducting experiments to achieve online detection and reaction to IO attacks.