How a Hybrid Attack Graph Helps Optimize Cybersecurity
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Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has developed a so-called hybrid attack graph to help prevent cyberattacks that target the power grid. PNNL analyzed more than 3,000 documented cyberattack vectors (50 of which are relevant to the grid), and developed a mathematical framework to mitigate them. If you’re a fan of cybersecurity in the utility industry, read on!
Overview of the Hybrid Attack Graph
The hybrid attack graph was developed under the umbrella of PNNL’s Resilience through Data-Driven Intelligently Designed Control (RD2C). The graph utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) to identify the probability of each attack vector, and then prioritize the optimal method to prevent them.
In a nutshell, the tool aims to model the threats and hazards that impact system resiliency, so that mitigation solutions can be deployed in a targeted and logical manner. Simply put, in a cyber-risk situation, the tool helps decision makers know what to do, and how, to minimize the risk.
The AI portion of the technology may be the most important. Unlike times of yore, nowadays the grid is more complex, connected, and fragmented than it’s ever been. Think: smart thermostats, smart meters, local energy storage technologies, automated controllers, sensors, APIs, EV charging stations, etc. And as the number of potential backdoor entry points increases, so too does the data and analytics necessary to make sense of it all. And that, my friends, is where AI comes in.
It’s really this sheer complexity that prompted PNNL to develop the model. And this complexity is exasperated by the fact that the growing number of turnkey hacking tools and off-the-shelf malware programs are making it easy for even novice hackers to get in on the action.
Of course, this is just one of many tools in the proverbial toolbox – other critical tools include cybersecurity plans, asset management plans, virus software, and employee training to name just a few. Whether your company is game for utilizing the hybrid attack graph or not, the utilization of any cybersecurity tool is certainly better than nothing!
