Zero Dynamics Attacks on Network Control Systems

Abstract

CPS are hybrid systems that integrates physical processes, computational resources and communication capabilities to monitor and control a physical process. In simple terms cyberphysical systems are real world systems controlled by computers. Examples of CPS are power grid network, water distribution systems, transportation systems and other critical infrastructure. Integration of cybertechnology and physical processes increases system efficiency but at the same time introduces threats such as cyberphysical attacks to the systems. These attacks disrupt the normal behavior of physical processes and can cause catastrophic damages.Traditional detection techniques used by critical infrastructure systems cannot be used to detect such cyberphysical attacks because these attacks are designed in a way that can bypass current detection techniques undetected.One such attack is the zero dynamics attack(ZDA). A ZDA is an attack on the internal dynamics of network control systems (NCS) that causes serious damages. Such attacks cannot be detected through the system input or output. Thus, to better understand and prevent NCS from ZDA the thesis has two parts: