Cyber-physical vulnerabilities in additive manufacturing systems: A case study attack on the .STL file with human subjects

Abstract

One of the key advantages of additive manufacturing (AM) is its digital thread, which allows for rapid communication, iteration, and sharing of a design model and its corresponding physical representation. While this enables a more efficient design process, it also presents opportunities for cyber-attacks to impact the physical word. In this paper the authors examine potential attack vectors along the Additive Manufacturing process chain. Specifically, the effects of cyber-physical attacks, and potential means for detecting them, are explored. To explore the potential implications of such an attack, a case study was conducted to evaluate the ability of human subjects to detect and diagnose a cyber-physical attack on the STL file of a test specimen. Based on the results of this study, recommendations are presented for preventing and detecting cyber-physical attacks on AM processes.