ICS Consequence Prioritization for Targeted Cyberattack Mitigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cybersecurity measures for industrial control systems (ICS) are inadequate against targeted attacks by well-resourced cyber adversaries, as they rely heavily on automation technologies that can be breached and manipulated, leading to potential catastrophic consequences.
Innovation Solution
Consequence-driven cyber-informed engineering (CCE) methodology and toolset that reduces reliance on automation by identifying critical processes, analyzing high-impact events, and developing concrete mitigations and protections to thwart cyber-attacks, incorporating a workflow engine, analysis engine, and reporting engine for consequence-based prioritization and targeting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cybersecurity measures (firewalls, IDS, IPS, etc.) are implemented in ICS, then basic cyber hygiene protection is achieved, but they are ineffective against targeted attacks by well-resourced adversaries
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional cybersecurity approach by shifting focus from protecting against all possible attacks to identifying and protecting only the most critical processes that would cause catastrophic consequences if compromised. This inversion allows organizations to concentrate security resources on high-value targets rather than attempting comprehensive protection of all automated systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and isolates the most critical processes from the broader ICS environment through consequence analysis. By identifying processes where failure would lead to catastrophic outcomes, the system separates these high-risk processes from less critical operations, enabling targeted security measures specifically for the extracted critical processes.
2Productivity
If automation technologies (OT systems) are deployed to improve reliability and efficiency, then operational performance is enhanced, but the systems become vulnerable to cyber breaches and manipulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by implementing different security approaches for different processes based on their consequence profiles. Critical processes identified through consequence analysis receive enhanced security measures, while less critical processes maintain standard automation without additional security overhead, creating localized security quality matched to each process's risk level.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the security parameter from uniform protection across all automated systems to differentiated protection levels based on consequence severity. By adjusting the security parameter according to the criticality assessment, the system optimizes the balance between operational efficiency and cybersecurity for each automated process.
3Reliability
If comprehensive cybersecurity tools and practices are implemented, then security coverage is increased, but the complexity and cost of security operations increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by implementing security measures only for the subset of processes that would cause catastrophic consequences if compromised. Rather than applying comprehensive security to all automated systems, the approach uses consequence analysis to identify and secure only the critical minority, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining adequate security coverage.
4Reliability
If reliance on automated computer-based systems is increased, then operational reliability and cost savings are achieved, but the potential damage from cyber attacks increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by conducting consequence analysis before deploying or operating automated systems to identify which processes would cause catastrophic damage if compromised. This advance identification allows organizations to pre-establish security measures for critical processes before they become vulnerable targets, preventing rather than merely responding to potential breaches.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the disclosure relate to a computer-implemented consequence-driven cyber-informed engineering tool for performing and reporting consequence-based prioritization, system-of-systems breakdown, consequence-based targeting, and mitigations and protections. Embodiments of a CCE tool may perform one or more steps of defining a target industrial control system (ICS), wherein the target ICS includes operational goals, critical functions, and critical services; determining one or more scored high consequence events (HCE) associated with the defined target ICS; prioritizing the scored HCEs according to an HCE severity index; and updating a dashboard with one or more representations of the prioritized HCEs, wherein the updated dashboard is associated with the CCE tool and presented at a display.