Granted Patent B1

US 12,335,308 · App. 18/795,878 · Granted Jun 17, 2025

Inventors: Amr Mohamed Saber Mohamed (Kingston, CA); Deepa Kundur (Oakville, CA)

Assignee: THE GOVERNING COUNCIL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

H04L63/1491H04L63/1441

Abstract

Claims (23)

1. A method for modelling a cyber-physical system to act as a honeypot for cyberattacks, the method executed on one or more processing units in communication with a data storage, the method comprising:

building a virtual instance of the cyber-physical system comprising a physical layer and a cyber layer that controls the physical layer, the cyber layer comprising devices that comprise one or more of network devices, control units, sensors, and intelligent electronic devices, wherein the physical layer comprising a system model of the cyber-physical system, inputs to the system model comprising effects of the devices of the cyber layer on physical dynamics of the physical layer, and outputs of the system model comprising measurements of the physical dynamics received by the devices of the cyber layer;

generating a safety set defined by control barrier functions, the safety set delineates the bounds within which the cyber-physical system can operate safely;

receiving a cyberattack payload from an attacking device;

simulating the physical dynamics of the physical layer and operation of the cyber layer;

projecting whether the cyberattack payload can force the cyber-physical system to exit the safety set based on the simulated physical dynamics; and

performing a safety action on the cyber-physical system when the physical system is projected to exit the safety set due to the cyberattack payload.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the attack payload is permitted to affect the cyber layer and alter the physical dynamics of the cyber-physical system while the cyber-physical system is projected to remain within the safety set.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the safety action comprises a modification to the cyber-physical system that minimally modifies the cyber-physical system or the cyberattack payload to maintain that the cyber-physical system is projected to stay within the safety set.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the safety action ceases when the attack payload is projected to not cause the cyber-physical system to exit the safety set.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the intelligent electronic devices comprise virtual intelligent electronic devices.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the intelligent electronic devices comprise a mix of the virtual intelligent electronic devices and physical intelligent electronic devices.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein determining whether the cyberattack payload is projected to force the cyber-physical system to exit the safety set comprises determining whether deviations in the measurements of the physical dynamics would trigger protective devices of the cyber-physical system.

8. A system for modelling a cyber-physical system to act as a honeypot for cyberattacks, the system comprising one or more processors in communication with a data storage, the data storage comprising instructions for the one or more processors to execute:

a device module to build a virtual instance of the cyber-physical system and to generate a safety set defined by control barrier functions, the safety set delineates the bounds within which the cyber-physical system can operate safely, the virtual instance comprising a physical layer and a cyber layer that controls the physical layer, the cyber layer comprising devices that comprise one or more of network devices, control units, sensors, and intelligent electronic devices, and the physical layer comprising a system model of the cyber-physical system, inputs to the system model comprising effects of the devices of the cyber layer devices on physical dynamics of the physical later, and outputs of the system model comprising measurements of the physical dynamics received by the devices of the cyber layer devices;

a simulation module to receive a cyberattack payload from an attacking device, and to simulate the physical dynamics of the physical layer and operation of the cyber layer; and

a control module to project whether the cyberattack payload can force the cyber-physical system to exit the safety set based on the simulated physical dynamics, and to perform a safety action on the cyber-physical system when the physical system is projected to exit the safety set due to the cyberattack payload.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the attack payload is permitted to affect the cyber layer and alter the physical dynamics of the cyber-physical system while the cyber-physical system is projected to remain within the safety set.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the safety action comprises a modification to the cyber-physical system that minimally modifies the cyber-physical system or the cyberattack payload to maintain that the cyber-physical system is projected to stay within the safety set.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the safety action ceases when the attack payload is projected to not cause the cyber-physical system to exit the safety set.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the intelligent electronic devices comprise virtual intelligent electronic devices.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the intelligent electronic devices comprise a mix of the virtual intelligent electronic devices and physical intelligent electronic devices.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein determining whether the cyberattack payload is projected to force the cyber-physical system to exit the safety set comprises determining whether deviations in the measurements of the physical dynamics would trigger protective devices of the cyber-physical system.

Assignments (1)

References Cited (49)