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The Cyber Defense Review

Cybersecurity Architectural Analysis for Complex Cyber-Physical Systems

By Martin “Trae” Span, Logan O. Mailloux, Michael R. Grimaila | September 05, 2018

In the modern military’s highly interconnected and technology-reliant operational environment, cybersecurity is rapidly growing in importance. Moreover, as a number of highly publicized attacks have occurred against complex cyberphysical systems such as automobiles and airplanes, cybersecurity is no longer limited to traditional computer systems and IT networks. While architectural analysis approaches are critical to improving cybersecurity, these approaches are often poorly understood and applied in ad hoc fashion. This work addresses these gaps by answering the questions: 1. “What is cybersecurity architectural analysis?” and 2. “How can architectural analysis be used to more effectively support cybersecurity decision making for complex cyber-physical systems?” First, a readily understandable description of key architectural concepts and definitions is provided which culminates in a working definition of “cybersecurity architectural analysis,” since none is available in the literature. Next, we survey several architectural analysis approaches to provide the reader with an understanding of the various approaches being used across government and industry. Based on our proposed definition, the previously introduced key concepts, and our survey results, we establish desirable characteristics for evaluating cybersecurity architectural analysis approaches. Lastly, each of the surveyed approaches is assessed against the characteristics and areas of future work are identified.

 

Cybersecurity Architectural Analysis for Complex Cyber-Physical Systems



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