A configurable dependency model of a SCADA system for goal-oriented risk assessment

Cherdantseva, Yulia ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3527-1121, Burnap, Pete ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0396-633X, Nadjm-Tehrani, Simin and Jones, Kevin 2022. A configurable dependency model of a SCADA system for goal-oriented risk assessment. Applied Sciences 12 (10) , 4880. 10.3390/app12104880

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Abstract

A key purpose of a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system is to enable either an on-site or remote supervisory control and monitoring of physical processes of various natures. In order for a SCADA system to operate safely and securely, a wide range of experts with diverse backgrounds must work in close rapport. It is critical to have an overall view of an entire system at a high level of abstraction which is accessible to all experts involved, and which assists with gauging and assessing risks to the system. Furthermore, a SCADA system is composed of a large number of interconnected technical and non-technical sub-elements, and it is crucial to capture the dependencies between these sub-elements for a comprehensive and rigorous risk assessment. In this paper, we present a generic configurable dependency model of a SCADA system which captures complex dependencies within a system and facilitates goal-oriented risk assessment. The model was developed by collecting and analysing the understanding of the dependencies within a SCADA system from 36 domain experts. We describe a methodology followed for developing the dependency model, present an illustrative example where the generic dependency model is configured for a SCADA system controlling water distribution, and outline an exemplary risk assessment process based on it.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Computer Science & Informatics
Additional Information:	This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).
Publisher:	MDPI
ISSN:	2076-3417
Funders:	Airbus Group Endeavr Wales scheme
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	11 May 2022
Date of Acceptance:	22 April 2022
Last Modified:	04 May 2023 15:03
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/149703

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