Challenges in Testing the Design of Secure Complex Critical Public Infrastructure

Complex and critical public infrastructure, also referred to as a Cyber Physical System (CPS), includes systems for water treatment, water distribution, power generation and distribution, and private and mass transportation. Such systems share one design characteristic: they include a complex cyber component to control a complex physical component. The cyber component is a source of attraction for people with malicious intent; and the number of attempts and successes to cripple, disrupt, or damage critical infrastructure continues to increase.A key challenge faced in the design of complex public infrastructure is in the testing and validation of a "secure design" for security and safety prior to the actual system build of its physical and cyber components. In this talk I will review a novel process that transforms "traditional design" of a CPS into a "secure design," and describe an attacklet-based procedure developed for testing the "secure-design" so derived.