Modeling cascading failures in 'systems of systems' with uncertain behavior

We model cascading failures in interdependent Critical Infrastructures (CIs). We adopt a modeling framework based on simulation, which accounts for the physical specialization of the components and their interdependencies. We analyze cascading failures triggered by the intentional removal of a single component in the CIs and study the influence of the systems operating safety margins and interdependency parameters on the consequences of the cascade. Uncertainties in the model parameters are propagated, within a probabilistic representation framework.