Cybersecurity Hazard Analysis Tool for Industrial Control Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for effective cybersecurity measures to protect Industrial Control Systems (ICS) from cyber threats, as the convergence of Operational Technology (OT) with Information Technology (IT) increases the risk of cyberattacks, particularly in critical infrastructure such as SCADA systems, where traditional risk management and risk modeling differ and existing solutions fail to adequately address the complexities of OT cybersecurity.
Innovation Solution
A cybersecurity hazard analysis tool and method that provides a risk model for ICS assets, processing event path data, exposure, and consequence data to output quantified risks, and includes countermeasures like antivirus engines, firewalls, and process safeguards to reduce cyberattack likelihood and severity, with a risk analysis engine generating outputs for risk reduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If connectivity of OT to the Internet is improved for monitoring and controlling physical devices, then operational efficiency is improved, but cybersecurity risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary risk modeling and hazard analysis before cyberattacks occur. It proactively identifies potential threats, vulnerable assets, and possible attack paths by analyzing event paths leading to cybersecurity hazards. This preliminary assessment enables preventive measures to be taken before actual attacks compromise the ICS.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors and analyzes cybersecurity events, exposing vulnerabilities and potential attack paths. By providing feedback on risk levels, vulnerability assessments, and attack surface analysis, the system enables iterative improvement of security measures while maintaining operational connectivity.
2Ease of operation
If traditional risk management approaches are used for ICS, then implementation simplicity is maintained, but accuracy in assessing OT cybersecurity risks deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system integrates multiple risk assessment functions into a unified platform that handles both cybersecurity risks and process hazards. It combines vulnerability assessment, attack surface analysis, event path evaluation, and consequence analysis in a single comprehensive tool, improving accuracy while maintaining operational simplicity through consolidation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms traditional qualitative risk management into quantitative risk modeling by introducing specific parameters for vulnerability severity, exposure levels, likelihood of failure, and consequence severity. This parameterization enables precise measurement and comparison of risks while maintaining ease of use through automated calculations.
3Reliability
If comprehensive cybersecurity measures are implemented in ICS, then security reliability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the complex cybersecurity assessment into distinct modular components: vulnerability assessment module, attack surface analysis module, event path analysis module, and consequence analysis module. Each component independently evaluates specific aspects of risk, making the overall system more manageable while maintaining comprehensive security coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary risk analysis engine that mediates between the complex underlying security systems and the user interface. This intermediary layer processes complex security data, applies risk models, and presents simplified risk assessments, thereby maintaining security reliability while reducing perceived system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes providing a cybersecurity risk model for cybersecurity and process risk modeling of assets in an industrial control system (ICS) including process controllers connected together by a communications network coupled by I/O devices to field devices coupled to processing equipment. The assets are configured together to implement a process. The risk model processes input data including event path data including event paths leading to a cybersecurity hazard and ≥1 process hazard, exposure data for the cybersecurity and process hazard, and consequence data for the cybersecurity and the process hazard including a severity of failure, the risk model outputting functional consequences of failure of the cybersecurity and the process hazard, and a likelihood of failure for the hazards. A risk analysis engine processes the functional consequences and likelihood of failures for the cybersecurity and process hazard, and generates outputs including a quantified risk for the cybersecurity and process hazard.