Cybersecurity Investment Analysis for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructures

With the proliferation of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCS), efficacious cybersecurity is essential to prevent cyber threats and safeguard network integrity and the power grid. However, limited finances, evolving attacker tactics, and dynamic security risks make optimizing cybersecurity investments and implementing all practical solutions difficult for the defenders. This paper adopts a methodology with specific refinement to enhance the optimization of resource allocation for the cybersecurity infrastructure in EVCS. The approach integrates attack-defense trees (ADTs) and game theory principles to strengthen the system against potential threats. The refined methodology incorporates the CIA triad model and the MITRE ATT&CK framework to devise robust ADTs for scrutinizing cyber-attack paths and formulating effective defensive strategies. Furthermore, the methodology adopts a Game-Theoretic approach to model attacker-defender interactions, enabling defenders to identify the most optimal strategies. Finally, the model has been validated for several real use-case scenarios of a compact EVCS environment, affirming its potential for real-world application across an entire EVCS infrastructure.