A Python-Based Simulation Software for Monitoring the Operability State of Critical Infrastructures Under Emergency Conditions

Abstract

Due to the increasing number of cyber attacks and blackouts at critical infrastructures, the topic of critical infrastructure security and safety did not only reach a high media presence within the last years, but also gained attention within security research. The first step to increase the resilience and preparedness of critical infrastructures is to understand the impact of external stimulation on its operability. Therefore, we successfully build a Python-based simulation software based on the cyber-physical system model from Koch et al. (IEEE EIT 2017 [1]), which is able to predict the operating conditions in cases of blackouts, power shortages or cyber attacks. The software is dynamically verified by building and simulating the time-dependent operability state of a small network in cases of varying load conditions and a cyber attack event. With its easy understandable graphical user interface the software will be able to support the future planning of critical infrastructures and testing its performance under emergency conditions.