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The Community Defense Approach: A Human Approach to Cybersecurity for Industrial and Manufacturing Systems

Stewart, Alexander
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1562059795078067

Abstract Details

2019, MS, University of Cincinnati, Engineering and Applied Science: Computer Engineering.
After the revelation of Stuxnet in 2010, the cybersecurity community finally acknowledged that industrial control systems and cyber-physical systems were vulnerable. This realization led to an understanding of the number of vulnerabilities present in industrial devices including programmable logic controllers (PLCs). The Stuxnet hack itself was impressive, but the delivery method was disturbingly simple – USB flash drives and a bit of social engineering. Every day, in every type of industry, human factors are found to be the cause of some of the worst cyberattacks. Security risks are especially high in the slow-to-change industrial and manufacturing sectors. Focusing on these sectors, this thesis seeks to first analyze the core components of a secure cyber-physical system, from a PLC on the plant floor to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company. The analysis will closely focus on the human factors and interactions involved, determining what knowledge employees must have to securely perform their duties. This data, existing research, and the human-in-the-loop (HITL) model create the structure for the Community Defense Approach (CDA). By understanding each employee’s cybersecurity responsibilities, educating them in those responsibilities, and ensuring compliance to an effective security policy, an organization can achieve a reduction in the risk of both malicious and inadvertent insider threats, thus preventing social engineering attacks via social engineering.
Carla Purdy, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
John Franco, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Ali Minai, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
71 p.
Computer Engineering
cybersecurity; human factors; manufacturing; cyber-physical systems; social engineering

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Stewart, A. (2019). The Community Defense Approach: A Human Approach to Cybersecurity for Industrial and Manufacturing Systems [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1562059795078067

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Stewart, Alexander. The Community Defense Approach: A Human Approach to Cybersecurity for Industrial and Manufacturing Systems. 2019. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1562059795078067.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Stewart, Alexander. "The Community Defense Approach: A Human Approach to Cybersecurity for Industrial and Manufacturing Systems." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1562059795078067

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1562059795078067
440
© 2019, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License The Community Defense Approach: A Human Approach to Cybersecurity for Industrial and Manufacturing Systems by Alexander Stewart is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.