IP Library Granted Patent US 11,483,331
Granted Patent B2
US 11,483,331 · App. 16/290,511 · Granted Oct 25, 2022

Consequence-driven cyber-informed engineering and related systems and methods

Inventors: Michael Assante (Alta, WY); Curtis St. Michel (Idaho Falls, ID); Sarah G. Freeman (Blackfoot, ID); Robert T. Smith (Idaho Falls, ID); Andrew A. Bochman (Milwaukee, WI)
Assignee: Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC
H04L63/1433G05B19/4185G05B19/4188H04L63/1441
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,483,331
App. No.
16/290,511
Granted
Oct 25, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to a computer-implemented consequence-driven cyber-informed engineering tool for performing and reporting consequence-based prioritization, system-of-systems breakdown, consequence-based targeting, and mitigations and protections. Embodiments of a CCE tool may perform one or more steps of defining a target industrial control system (ICS), wherein the target ICS includes operational goals, critical functions, and critical services; determining one or more scored high consequence events (HCE) associated with the defined target ICS; prioritizing the scored HCEs according to an HCE severity index; and updating a dashboard with one or more representations of the prioritized HCEs, wherein the updated dashboard is associated with the CCE tool and presented at a display.

Claims (34)

1. A computer system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions thereon, wherein, when executed, the instructions are adapted to cause the processor to:

define a target industrial control system (ICS), wherein a target ICS includes operational goals, critical functions, and critical services;

determine one or more scored high consequence events (HCE) associated with the defined target ICS;

prioritize scored HCEs according to an HCE severity index;

update a dashboard with one or more representations of the prioritized HCEs;

determine mitigation, protection, and tripwires responsive to the prioritized HCEs;

determine scores of techniques for responding to the prioritized HCEs, wherein respective scores of techniques represent capability of respective techniques to implement the determined mitigation, protection, and tripwires at the target ICS in response to the prioritized HCEs; and

select one or more of the techniques responsive to the determined scores and a cost function.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the dashboard is configured to present the representations of the HCEs according to priorities.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the dashboard is configured to receive parameters for determining the one or more scored HCE, the parameters comprising assumptions and boundary conditions, scenario development, and ranking criteria.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein, when executed, the instructions are adapted to cause the processor to:

calculate an HCE severity for each of the HCEs; and

prioritize the HCEs responsive to the HCE severity for each of the HCEs.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the HCE severity is calculated responsive to an area impacted, a duration of the event, an attack breadth, a system integrity, a safety, and a cost of the event.

6. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

defining a target industrial control system (ICS), wherein the target ICS includes operational goals, critical functions, and critical services;

determining one or more scored high consequence events (HCE) associated with the defined target ICS;

prioritizing the scored HCEs according to an HCE severity index;

updating a dashboard with one or more representations of the prioritized HCEs, wherein the updated dashboard is presented at a display;

determining critical sub-systems of target ICS that impact critical functions or services of the defined target ICS;

determining a series of events for each of the determined critical sub-systems that would cause the scored HCEs associated with the defined target ICS;

defining cyber pathways to achieve the determined series of events; and

scoring the defined cyber pathways based, at least in part, on an index that associates cyber pathways with risk levels where respective risk levels represent likelihoods that associated cyber pathways are actually being exploited.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising determining critical functions and services responsive to operational goals.

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

determining potential attack vectors for the defined cyber pathways;

determining a series of steps to achieve the potential attack vectors; and

prioritizing the potential attack vectors responsive to the determined series of steps.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

determining mitigation, protection, and tripwires for a subset of prioritized potential attack vectors;

determining scores for techniques responsive to respective capability to address the mitigation, protection, and tripwires for the subset of the prioritized potential attack vectors; and

selecting one or more of the techniques responsive to the determined scores and a cost function.

Assignments (2)
CONFIRMATORY LICENSE Recorded May 21, 2019
From: BATTELLE ENERGY ALLIANCE/IDAHO NAT'L LAB
To: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Reel/Frame 049239/0656 →
NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT Recorded May 6, 2019
From: BOCHMAN, ANDREW A.; ST. MICHEL, CURTIS; ASSANTE, MICHAEL; FREEMAN, SARAH G.; SMITH, ROBERT T.
To: BATTELLE ENERGY ALLIANCE, LLC
Reel/Frame 049094/0682 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62637826 · Mar 2, 2018
Related Publication 20190273756A1 · Sep 5, 2019