Critical National Infrastructure Research Articles

Reintegration of cyber veterans: challenges and strategies for post-war transition.

Battles in the cyber domain often lack visibility compared to the physical domain, which can lead to insufficient appreciation of its actors' achievements by the general public and society. Nonetheless, it has become a crucial area of modern warfare in which cyber professionals defend the nation's critical infrastructure, support other military operations and achieve military objectives that could not be attained in other domains. Although cyber combatants might not have as high a risk of injury or death as those on the front lines, they still can face traumatic events and suffer from the same types of issues after the war as any other veteran. Earlier studies on war veterans have shown they have elevated risks of mental health issues, substance use, social problems and financial difficulties which might push some individuals towards a path of crime. The cyber domain is also not limited by time or place, which has given rise to cyber volunteerism in which skilled individuals around the globe decide to assist their own country or friendly nations. This publication aims to identify the challenges cyber veterans might face when transitioning back to civilian life and develop appropriate strategies to facilitate their reintegration. It also raises the awareness of the hundreds of thousands of volunteers who can develop similar problems after the war. Without proper awareness, support and dialogue, some of these individuals can also drift towards harmful social implications such as cybercrime.

INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATIONS IN THE DIRECTION OF INCREASING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE STATE POLICY OF CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION

The article analyzes modern features of state policy in the field of critical infrastructure protection. Attention is focused on the need for institutional transformations in the direction of improving efficiency, transparency, responsibility and responding to new security challenges in the conditions of a hybrid war with the Russian Federation.
 The practice of protecting critical infrastructure facilities in developed countries has been studied. It was determined that its priority is the actualization of the predicate of stability of critical infrastructure objects. The content of normative and legal acts of Ukraine in this area was analyzed. A number of provisions have been identified that allow the adjustment of the domestic security doctrine to the European vector of stability.
 Within the perspective of the development of the concept of sustainability, the intention of «critical infrastructure stakeholders» is substantiated. This opens up the prospects of creating transparent conditions for ensuring the annihilation of state institutions of power, state protection systems, the private sector, educational and scientific institutions and other stakeholders of critical infrastructure to the National System of Critical Infrastructure Protection at the next levels of management. The possible levels of such cooperation are determined.
 Modern scientific works were analyzed, which studied the prospects of changing the paradigm of protection and stability to the paradigm of resilience. The complex of institutional transformations is proposed to be expanded due to the application within the framework of the functioning of the National Critical Infrastructure Protection System of the process of determining and analyzing the range of risks that the country faces in the spheres of critical infrastructure functioning. The transformation of institutional protection systems is considered through the prism of systemic determinants, among which physical protection and defense, cyber protection and defense, preventive measures of protection and defense, and an educational and scientific approach are highlighted.
 The system of organization at the state level of conducting regular interdisciplinary trainings on the operational response to emergency situations at facilities has been studied. It is proposed to increase clarity in the delineation of responsibility for project threats and to strengthen control over compliance with the systematicity of interdisciplinary training. On the basis of the extrapolations of scientists' hypotheses and the results of the author's research, a proposal was made to systematize the main proposals for institutional transformations in the direction of increasing the effectiveness of the state policy for the protection of critical infrastructure in the form of a Preventive concept of resilience of critical infrastructure objects.

Creating a model of threats to Ukraine’s national critical infrastructure as a basis for ensuring its security and resilience

Creating a model of threats to Ukraine’s national critical infrastructure as a basis for ensuring its security and resilience

National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection through Cybersecurity: A National Government Perspective

The South African national government is forging ahead with digitalisation plans to enhance socioeconomic growth in the country. However, digitalisation is accompanied by detrimental cybersecurity risks that may potentially exacerbate the vulnerability of the National Critical Information Infrastructure (NCII) of South Africa to cyber-attacks. Therefore, the envisaged digitalisation benefits in South Africa may be offset by the increased cybersecurity risk on the NCII of the country. Through a theoretical literature review, this study aims to investigate digitalisation and identify the cybersecurity risks it poses to the National Critical Information Infrastructure of South Africa, from a national government policy perspective. A gap has been identified in Information and Communications Technology for Development (ICT4D) research studies that researchers tend to focus on the implementation of ICTs while neglecting the policy aspect that is meant to direct and control the implementation of ICTs. Therefore, this study bridges this gap by approaching digitalisation and cybersecurity from a national government policy perspective. The output of this study is a National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection (through Cybersecurity) Conceptual Framework (NCIIP-CF) that is applicable to all spheres of government (local, provincial or national) as policy makers. The NCIIP-CF demonstrates an approach that embeds cybersecurity in the digitalisation process for the national government of South Africa, thus enabling an NCII that is resilient to cybersecurity risks.

Risk-based safety scoping of adversary-centric security testing on Operational Technology

Due to the recent increase in cyber attacks targeting Critical National Infrastructure, governments and organisations alike have invested considerably into improving the security of their underlying infrastructure, commonly known as Operational Technology (OT). The use of adversary-centric security tests such as vulnerability assessments, penetration tests and red team engagements has gained significant traction due to these engagements’ goal to emulate threat actors in preparation for genuine cyber attacks. Challenges arise, however, when performing security tests on these as the nature of OT requires additional safety and operation risks to be considered. This paper proposes a framework for incorporating the assessment of safety and operational risks within an overall scoping methodology for adversary-centric security testing in OT environments. Within this framework, we also propose a hybrid testing model derived from the Purdue Enterprise Reference Architecture and the Defense in Depth model to identify and quantify safety and operational risk at a per-layer level, separating high and low-risk layers and being subsequently used for defining the rules of engagement. As a result, this framework can aid vendors and clients in appropriately scoping adversary-centric security tests so that depth-of-testing is maximised while minimising the risk to safety and to the operational process. The framework is then evaluated through a qualitative study involving industry experts, confirming the framework’s validity for implementation in practice.

Artificial intelligence in cybersecurity: Protecting national infrastructure: A USA review

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative force in the field of cybersecurity, playing a pivotal role in safeguarding national infrastructure. This review focuses on the application of AI technologies within the context of the United States, examining their efficacy in fortifying critical systems against evolving cyber threats. The paper delves into various AI-driven cybersecurity strategies, ranging from anomaly detection and predictive analysis to threat intelligence and automated response mechanisms. The integration of AI in cybersecurity not only enhances the speed and accuracy of threat detection but also addresses the dynamic nature of cyber threats. The specific AI technologies employed in the United States, including machine learning, natural language processing, and neural networks, highlighting their contributions to bolstering the resilience of national infrastructure are also examined. Furthermore, the challenges and ethical considerations associated with the widespread adoption of AI in cybersecurity are assessed. It discusses the need for robust regulatory frameworks to govern the deployment of AI in sensitive domains and emphasizes the importance of collaboration between government agencies, private enterprises, and research institutions to foster innovation and address emerging threats. In conclusion, this review provides a comprehensive analysis of the role of AI in cybersecurity within the United States, emphasizing its significance in protecting critical national infrastructure. By exploring technological advancements, challenges, and ethical considerations, this paper contributes to the ongoing discourse on leveraging AI to safeguard against the ever-evolving landscape of cyber threats.

COUNTERTERRORISM SECURITY OF THE STATE IN THE CURRENT CONTEXT

The article analyzes previous research and highlights the features of the counterterrorism security of the state as a component of the national security system.
 The article aims at identifying problems with ensuring counterterrorism security during the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine, analyzing Ukrainian legislation in this area, and outlining the ways of forming the counterterrorism security system of the state in the current context.
 The biggest terrorist threat to Ukraine is the large-scale armed aggression by the Russian Federation and the hybrid war, which aims not only to occupy certain territories of Ukraine but also to completely eliminate Ukrainian statehood. This war widely employs terrorist methods including the intimidation and killing of civilians, the use of powerful weapons against populated areas, and the destruction of critical civilian infrastructure.
 The problems above call for a comprehensive reconsideration of the counterterrorism security of the state, given the need to significantly enhance the protection of possible sites of terrorist attacks and to fulfill the tasks of implementing the national security priorities under the 2020 National Security Strategy of Ukraine Human Security Equals the Country’s Security.
 The perpetration of terrorist acts by the Russian Federation against the national critical infrastructure has become a striking challenge for Ukraine, the consequences of which are difficult to overestimate. During the armed aggression, the Ukrainian state has been confronted with new types of terrorist activities, in particular, psychological and nuclear terrorism. All this requires strengthening the counterterrorism capacities for protecting critical infrastructure and other targets of terrorist attacks, primarily through practical and research-based approaches to the counterterrorism security of the state.
 Based on the results of the study, the authors conclude that there is a need to significantly enhance the institutional strengthening of the national counterterrorism system and to revise Ukrainian legislation in this area. The article outlines interrelations between counterterrorism security and other components within the national security system of Ukraine, including security of the state, military security and defense, public security, cybersecurity, nuclear and radiation security, etc. The authors propose to establish an effective system of counterterrorism security of the state, primarily with respect to improving its legislative basis, which calls for the development of the Counterterrorism Strategy in Ukraine that would become the foundation of state policy in countering terrorism.

REVIEW OF CYBERSECURITY STRATEGIES IN PROTECTING NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE: PERSPECTIVES FROM THE USA

This review analyses cybersecurity methods in the USA, focusing on protecting national infrastructure, with lessons and implications for global cybersecurity practices. In an era dominated by digital interconnectedness, the protection of national infrastructure from cyber threats is of paramount importance. This paper provides a comprehensive review of cybersecurity strategies employed by the United States to safeguard critical national infrastructure. As the nation's reliance on technology continues to grow, so does the complexity and sophistication of cyber threats. The paper examines key frameworks, policies, and initiatives implemented by the USA to fortify its critical infrastructure against cyber-attacks. It outlines the current threat landscape, the evolving nature of cyber threats and the potential consequences of successful attacks on critical sectors such as energy, transportation, and finance. It also analyzes the strategic approaches adopted by the USA, including the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework, and collaborative efforts between the public and private sectors. The paper explores the role of government agencies, regulatory bodies, and private enterprises in implementing and enforcing cybersecurity measures. It assesses the effectiveness of information sharing initiatives, public-private partnerships, and international collaborations in enhancing the resilience of national infrastructure against cyber threats. Furthermore, the review addresses emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) in the context of cybersecurity. It evaluates how these technologies are leveraged to detect, prevent, and respond to cyber threats in real-time, considering both their benefits and potential risks. Ethical considerations, privacy concerns, and challenges associated with the implementation of robust cybersecurity strategies are also discussed. The paper concludes with insights into the evolving nature of cyber threats and recommendations for continuous improvement in national cybersecurity strategies, emphasizing the need for agility, adaptability, and collaboration to stay ahead of an ever-changing threat landscape. This study contributes to the broader understanding of cybersecurity practices, offering insights that are not only relevant to the USA but also applicable to other nations facing similar challenges in safeguarding their critical infrastructure in an increasingly interconnected and digital world.
 Keywords: Cybersecurity, Strategies, Protecting, National Infrastructure, USA, NIST, Artificial Intelligence.

Integrated cyber resilience strategy for safeguarding the national infrastructure of Somalia: Addressing threats

In today’s digital world, cyber resilience is key element for the security and steadiness of nations. It refers to the capacity to get ready for, adjust to, endure, and swiftly bounce back from cyber threats, playing a crucial role in protecting a nation's critical infrastructure. This research outlines a comprehensive cyber resilience strategy to protect Somalia's critical infrastructure from evolving cyber threats. The study analyzes the current threat landscape, identifies vulnerabilities in key sectors, and proposes a comprehensive approach. The findings of the study present a multifaceted strategy that combines inculcation, international collaboration, and recognized frameworks, forming a structured approach to identify vulnerabilities, protect critical assets, and respond effectively to cyber incidents. The proposed strategy intents to enhance Somalia's cyber resilience, offering a practical strategy for proactive defense against evolving threats and securing a digital future.

The Empowerment of The Cyber Communities By The Indonesian Goverment From The Perspective of Total War Strategy

The development of Information Technology and Computers (ICT) has made changes that affect the concept of security. The impact of these ICT developments poses a cyber threat to the National Critical Information Infrastructure (IIKN). The cyber community empowerment effort aims to help the government, institutions and private parties related to the ICT sector in safeguarding and securing IIKN from cyber attacks whose impact can collapse a country if it is not anticipated earlier. For that we need a strategy that is able to support the empowerment of the cyber community by the government in the perspective of universal war. In writing this article, the author uses a method by collecting data and information through the help of various materials contained in the literature (books) or also known as the type of phenomological research associated with qualitative descriptive. From the results of the literature research that the authors get, it is known that the cyber community has not fully helped the government in national defense, there are some cyber communities that have not been involved, it takes the role of government, institutions and private parties related to ICT to be able to realize cyber community empowerment by the Government in the perspective of Total war.
 

A Hybrid Methodology to Assess Cyber Resilience of IoT in Energy Management and Connected Sites.

Cyber threats and vulnerabilities present an increasing risk to the safe and frictionless execution of business operations. Bad actors ("hackers"), including state actors, are increasingly targeting the operational technologies (OTs) and industrial control systems (ICSs) used to protect critical national infrastructure (CNI). Minimisations of cyber risk, attack surfaces, data immutability, and interoperability of IoT are some of the main challenges of today's CNI. Cyber security risk assessment is one of the basic and most important activities to identify and quantify cyber security threats and vulnerabilities. This research presents a novel i-TRACE security-by-design CNI methodology that encompasses CNI key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to combat the growing vicarious nature of remote, well-planned, and well-executed cyber-attacks against CNI, as recently exemplified in the current Ukraine conflict (2014-present) on both sides. The proposed methodology offers a hybrid method that specifically identifies the steps required (typically undertaken by those responsible for detecting, deterring, and disrupting cyber attacks on CNI). Furthermore, we present a novel, advanced, and resilient approach that leverages digital twins and distributed ledger technologies for our chosen i-TRACE use cases of energy management and connected sites. The key steps required to achieve the desired level of interoperability and immutability of data are identified, thereby reducing the risk of CNI-specific cyber attacks and minimising the attack vectors and surfaces. Hence, this research aims to provide an extra level of safety for CNI and OT human operatives, i.e., those tasked with and responsible for detecting, deterring, disrupting, and mitigating these cyber-attacks. Our evaluations and comparisons clearly demonstrate that i-TRACE has significant intrinsic advantages compared to existing "state-of-the-art" mechanisms.

Quantitative Systems Modeling for Critical Infrastructure Predictions in Climate Change: A National Defense Framework

Abstract Any national defense is dependent on the efficacy of the available physical infrastructure. Whatever degrades infrastructure, structurally, physically, architecturally, or aesthetically, is of interest to the nation. Climate change is now a major significant factor of interest impinging on national critical infrastructure. The devastating effects of climate change have increasing pervasiveness throughout the world. The impact on critical infrastructure is of particular interest to researchers. In consonance with ASCE-ASME's special issue on critical infrastructure protection and resilience, this paper presents a systems-modeling approach for critical infrastructure and predictions in relation to climate change agreements in COP26. The paper addresses high-level critical systems-based assessment of the social, legal, economic, and technical nuances impinging on the viability of COP26 agreements. The paper was written using a multi-national collaboration approach. The specific focus of national defense is used as the backdrop for the methodology of the paper.

Building the Operational Technology (OT) Cybersecurity Workforce: What are Employers Looking for?

A trained workforce is needed to protect operational technology (OT) and industrial control systems (ICS) within national critical infrastructure and critical industries. However, what knowledge, skills, and credentials are employers looking for in OT cybersecurity professionals? To best train the next generation of OT cybersecurity professionals, an understanding of current OT cybersecurity position requirements is needed. Thus, this work analyzes 100 OT cybersecurity positions to provide insights on key prerequisite requirements such as prior professional experience, education, industry certifications, security clearances, programming expertise, soft verbal and written communication skills, knowledge of OT frameworks, standards, and network communication protocols, and position travel. We found that OT cybersecurity roles are typically non-entry level, as experience was the most common requirement, and was required on 95% of analyzed positions. Possession of a bachelor’s degree or higher was required for 82% of positions, while industry certifications such as the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) or the Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional (GICSP) were listed on 64% of positions. Knowledge of OT or IT frameworks and standards and strong communication skills were listed on 48% of positions, while programming expertise, possession of the United States security clearance, and knowledge of OT or IT networking protocols were required for 18%, 24%, and 27% of positions, respectively. A work travel requirement was listed on 29% of positions. Individuals seeking to enter the OT cybersecurity field, and educational programs focusing on training OT cybersecurity professionals should prioritize obtaining experience, education, and certification, possessing strong communication skills, and knowledge of relevant OT and IT industry standards and frameworks.

Structural performance of aged Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) roof panels

AbstractReinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) is a lightweight, aerated cementitious material with no coarse aggregate, hence the material properties and structural behavior vary significantly compared with “traditional” reinforced concrete. It was a popular form of precast concrete panelized construction in the 1970s, especially in critical infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, and government buildings, and many of these structures are now at the end of their design life.Although the quality of contemporary RAAC precast elements and structures is considered to be good, concerns exist regarding the durability, serviceability and structural reliability of 40–50 year old RAAC panels still in service.Ongoing survey regimes and preliminary site observations and investigations of multiples structures in the United Kingdom have revealed significant problems in a small number of panels such as excessive cracking and deflection, insufficient cover, and reinforcement that is corroding and/or incorrectly placed.This paper therefore presents data on the structural performance and integrity of aged RAAC panels from the 1960s and 70s still in service in the United Kingdom, and presents the outcomes of the most significant and largest research project in the United Kingdom in the last 10 years, which investigated the material properties, structural performance, and monitoring strategies of aged RAAC panels. Structural testing on full scale panels in the laboratory and in situ have been conducted, together with petrographical examination and computational finite element modeling of RAAC panels form different structures and locations around the United Kingdom.The research has developed considerable new knowledge and understanding regarding the structural and material performance of aged RAAC panels and their associated failure modes, which will have significant implications for the repair, monitoring and management of these national critical infrastructure.

The growing cyberthreat to critical national infrastructure

There is no more attractive target for cyber attackers – especially those linked to nation states – than critical national infrastructure (CNI). Organisations working in sectors that comprise CNI are subject to attacks ranging from ransom attempts to cyber war. Governments are becoming increasingly nervous about these threats, but often left the industry itself to do something about them. So what are the threats, how are they evolving and what do we do about them?

Exploratory Study on the US NIPP Establishment Process for Strengthening National Critical Infrastructure Protection System in Korea

This study aims to strengthen and improve the evaluation system for national critical infrastructure protection by considering the importance of such infrastructure and the key feature of interdependency. This research analyzed the changing trends of the national critical infrastructure protection plan in the United States (NIPP-2006, NIPP-2009, NIPP-2013) to derive implications and propose a plan for developing the evaluation system for national infra protection. As a result of the analysis, the problems of Korean NIPP are as follows; First, the national goal of protecting national critical infrastructure is unclear. Second, understanding of the interdependence and independence of the national critical infrastructure is relatively weak due to the lack of national infra protection goals. Third, it is a matter of utilizing the evaluation results of the National Critical Infrastructure Protection Plan. Therefore, it is judged that it is time to consider changing the fundamental approach to the national critical infrastructure protection system and resetting the direction of the protection plan.

Review of Remote Sensing Approaches and Soft Computing for Infrastructure Monitoring

During the past few decades, remote sensing has been established as an innovative, effective and cost-efficient option for the provision of high-quality information concerning infrastructure to governments or decision makers in order to update their plans and/or take actions towards the mitigation of the infrastructure risk. Meanwhile, climate change has emerged as a serious global challenge and hence there is an urgent need to develop reliable and cost-efficient infrastructure monitoring solutions. In this framework, the current study conducts a comprehensive review concerning the use of different remote-sensing sensors for the monitoring of multiple types of infrastructure including roads and railways, dams, bridges, archaeological sites and buildings. The aim of this contribution is to identify the best practices and processing methodologies for the comprehensive monitoring of critical national infrastructure falling under the research project named “PROION”. In light of this, the review summarizes the wide variety of approaches that have been utilized for the monitoring of infrastructure and are based on the collection of remote-sensing data, acquired using the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), synthetic aperture radar (SAR), light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) sensors. Moreover, great emphasis is given to the contribution of the state-of-the-art soft computing methods throughout infrastructure monitoring aiming to increase the automation of the procedure. The statistical analysis of the reviewing publications revealed that SARs and LiDARs are the prevalent remote-sensing sensors used in infrastructure monitoring concepts, while regarding the type of infrastructure, research is orientated onto transportation networks (road and railway) and bridges. Added to this, deep learning-, fuzzy logic- and expert-based approaches have gained ground in the field of infrastructure monitoring over the past few years.

Cybersecurity of the Power Production and Distribution of Critical Infrastructure

The paper presents a structured, comprehensive, and universally applicable approach to the management of cyber security of the power production and distribution of critical electricity national infrastructure. A complete and comprehensive Program based on current legislation and established standards is the basis of cyber security management of critical power infrastructure. Mutually complementary activities of risk assessment and Business Impact Analysis BIA achieve a satisfactory level of industrial processes continuity of critical electric infrastructure. Vulnerabilities with associated risks against the continuity and integrity of the industrial processes of electricity production and distribution based on underlying national critical infrastructure, and newly created vulnerabilities as a result of the consequent deregulation and liberalization of the electricity market, such as the service flexibility of the electricity distribution system, aggregation and energy communities, e-mobility, balancing, auxiliary services, congestion management, and consumption management, have yet to be incorporated and appropriately treated within the framework defined by the Program and presented in this paper.

Protecting the UK's national infrastructure

Of all the industries targeted by cyber attackers, critical national infrastructure (CNI) is among the most concerning. The potential disruption not just to business but to our daily lives and even our physical safety means that governments, including the UK, are taking the threat seriously. But it's also important that individual organisations working in this area ramp up their cyber security and adopt a position of cyber resilience.

Cybersecurity and Geopolitics in the Dominican Republic: Threats, Policies and Future Prospects

Cybersecurity, an increasingly pertinent topic in today's globalized world, is the central focus of this paper, which provides a comprehensive guide to the cybersecurity landscape in the Dominican Republic. The authors delve into the country's cyber threats and vulnerabilities, its current cybersecurity policy, the interplay between cybersecurity and national security, and the role of diplomacy in addressing cybersecurity issues. The paper also presents real-world examples of cyberattacks and cybersecurity responses in the Dominican Republic, and discusses future prospects for cybersecurity in the country. Cyberattacks pose a constant threat to national security, economies, and critical infrastructure worldwide. As these issues transcend national borders, international collaboration becomes critical in confronting these threats and safeguarding global citizens and institutions. This paper aims to not only shed light on the specific case of the Dominican Republic but also serve as a reference for other contexts. The methodology, results, and conclusions drawn from the analyzed texts will be detailed in the subsequent sections of the paper.