A Semantic Model-based Security Engineering Framework for Cyber-Physical Systems

The coupling of safety-relevant embedded- and cyber-space components to build Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) extends the functionality and quality in many business domains, while also creating new ones. Prime examples like Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 enable new technologies and extend the service capabilities of physical entities by building a universe of connected devices. In addition to higher complexity, the coupling of these heterogeneous systems results in many new challenges, which should be addressed by engineers and administrators. Here, security represents a major challenge, which may be well addressed in cyber-space engineering, but less in embedded system or CPS design. Although model-based engineering provides significant benefits for system architects, like reducing complexity and automated analysis, as well as being considered as standard methodology in embedded systems design, the aspect of security may not have had a major role in traditional engineering concepts. Especially the characteristics of CPS, as well as the coupling of safety-relevant (physical) components with high-scalable entities of the cyber-space domain have an enormous impact on the overall level of security, based on the introduced side effects and uncertainties. Therefore, we aim to define a model-based security-engineering framework, which is tailored to the needs of CPS engineers. Hereby, we focus on the actual modeling process, the evaluation of security, as well as quantitatively expressing security of a deployed CPS. Overall and in contrast to other approaches, we shift the engineering concepts on a semantic level, which allows to address the proposed challenges in CPS in the most efficient way.