1. Helen Gill, Ph.D. CISE/CNS National Science Foundation
Critical Infrastructure Protection Challenges: High Confidence Critical Systems
Helen Gill, Ph.D.
CISE/CNS
National Science Foundation

2. U.S. Power Grid: Well-Known Challenges
Status
Cascading failures
Changing technologies, constraints
Vulnerability to failures, attacks, misuse
Expertise, training limitations
Insider threats
Interdependencies
Need for both, renewal and growth
PSERC enables:
Research vanguard
Coordination

3. Critical Infrastructure Protection
HSPD-7
ISACs, NIPP, SCCs, etc.
CIP R&D Planning
National CIP R&D Plan
CIIP R&D Plan
NSTC Committee structure
CT – Committee on Technology
Networking, IT R&D Subcommittee
Infrastructure Subcommittee
Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Interagency Working Group (to be renamed)
NITRD High Confidence Software and Systems Coordinating Group
NSTC … CT
H&NS
Infrastructure
NITRD …
CIIP
HCSS
HEC

4. National CIP R&D Plan April 8, 2005
NCIP R&D Roadmap identifies three strategic goals:
National Common Operating Picture
Secure National Communication Network
Resilient, Self-Healing, Self-Diagnosing Infrastructure
Themes:
Detection and Sensor Systems
Protection and Prevention
Entry and Access Portals
Insider Threats
Analysis and Decision Support Systems
Response, Recovery, and Reconstitution
New and Emerging Threats and Vulnerabilities
Advanced Infrastructure Architectures and Systems Design
Human and Social Issues

5. Illustration, GAO Report: CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION
Challenges and Efforts to Secure Control Systems (GAO )

6. The Outsider's Strawman Perspective: The Power Grid
Current
Human-centric system of systems, information-enabled regional coordination
Static structure, with protection equipment, human operation
Built infrastructure; stressed by power routing; complex market, regulatory, and advisory environment
No storage, shrinking stability margin
Not secure, minimal cost incentive to change
Enterprise/market/control interaction, air gap violated
Midterm
FACTS – better flow control
PMUs – better local state information
Super-capacitors – better buffering, increased stability
GridWise, GridStat, …-- better global information
NERC 1200 Security Standard: guidelines, progress toward industry-specific IT security standards, SCADA security

7. The Outsider’s Strawman (Continued)
Long Term, “Energy Independence” Future
Physical System
Highly decentralized, distributed generation, configurable sources
Intermittent sources, smart motor loads
Information Technology
System of (Embedded) Systems, flexible (local? regional?) structure,
Real-time, multi-modal, mixed-initiative control
Flexible, dynamic topology
Security built in, policy-driven, adaptive
Authentication
Access control
Information assurance
Authority management
Intrusion detection, response
Real-time trust maintenance
Diagrams, courtesy UIUC/Cornell U./Dartmouth U./WSU

8. The Technology

9. A (fairly obvious) prediction about the Future of Physical and Engineered Systems
General transportation
Highway system technologies
Vehicle technologies
Hybrid engines, alternative fuels
Coordinated motor, braking, transmission
Continuously varying transmission control
ABS, regenerative braking, etc…
Environmental monitoring
Global warming
Environmental observation instrumentation, control
Agriculture and ecology
Herd health monitoring
Remote veterinary care
Crop condition monitoring
Emergency response
Rescue robotics
Command and control
Power generation and distribution
Deregulation, competition
Mix of generation technologies
Fossil fuels
Solar, wind
Hydrogen, fuel cells
Fusion?
Future airspace
Airspace management
Free flight
UAVs
Critical Infrastructure Protection
Higher performance vehicles
Health care
Infusion pumps, ventilators,…
EMT and ICU of the future
Triage and transport
Home care
IT Inside
Health care, environment, agriculture, species monitoring
Information technology inside!
Pictures of current and concept devices, not megalomania
A significant share of the technology edge is coming from better use of information
- design
- precise control
Photo Credits: Boeing, GM, Medtronics

10. Embedded Software and System Control Problem
Closing the loop around combined behaviors…
Physical/Biological/Engineered
System
Control Software
Latency
Latency
Sensing
State: Kinematic, Thermal,
Electromagnetic, Optical, Chemical,…
Coordination
Mode, Thread switching
Stability
Phase
Actuation
Energy production, consumption
Periodic calculation
Frequency
Execution Rate
Dynamic scheduling, resource management
Clock rate
Energy Management
Voltage scaling
Hardware Platform
Processing and Networking
Latency
Bandwidth

11. IT Technical Challenge: "Systems of Embedded Systems"
Now: information focus, human-machine interface
Operator skill
System, operator certification
Future: closed loop, mixed initiative, autonomous systems and multi-systems
Example domains:
Medical: “plug and play” operating room of the future
Aviation: mixed manned, autonomous flight
Power systems: SCADA and DCS for distributed generation, renewable energy resources
National Security: common operating picture, global information grid, future combat systems

12. Some “Grand Challenges”
Medical devices and systems of the future
Now: Practitioner closes the loop; sensor feeds to TV monitor, manual settings
Future: Closed-loop patient monitoring and delivery systems, “plug and play” operating rooms/ICUs/home care
Flight-critical aviation systems of the future
Now: Federated designs, pilot closes the loop
Future: Integrated designs; autonomy vs. pilot control
SCADA systems of the future
Now: Telemetry, sensor feeds to control center, centralized decision support
Future: Hierarchical, decentralized, highly-automated, market/policy driven, closed-loop + supervisory control
Now: Information-centric, human-closes-loop, distributed a priori, soft real-time, not secured
Future: Mixed initiative/closed-loop, open systems, hierarchical supervisory control, mobile, soft and hard real-time, secured

13. Cross-cutting Technical Challenges
Future distributed, real-time embedded system characteristics/requirements:
Open, reconfigurable topology, group membership
Styles: Integrated, peer-to-peer, “plug and play”, service-oriented
Fixed & mobile, RF/optical/wired/ wireless networking modalities
Mixed-initiative and highly autonomous operation
Complex multi-modal behavior, discrete-continuous (hybrid) control
Reconfigurable, multi-hierarchy supervisory control; vertical and horizontal interoperation
End-to-end security, “self-healing”
System certification
Status: many experimental systems, some science
Interesting results, but not yet a principled science/engineering base
Focus on situation awareness, sensor nets, and simulation, not control infrastructure

14. Cross-cutting Technical IT Challenges
Technical gaps:
Lack secure, interoperable, scalable real-time technology base
System stack (RTOS, virtual machines, middleware) needs re-factoring, extension, scaling, e.g.
Coordination (e.g., timed, reactive)
Dynamic hard/soft real-time scheduling
System security services
Recovery services
Lack secure real-time networking capability for critical infrastructures
Lack reliable, proven infrastructure IT architectures and components for high-confidence sensing and control systems

15. Goal: A Technology Base with Broad Applicability
Coordinated control systems applications
Unmanned autonomous air vehicles, automotive applications
SCADA systems for power grid, pipeline control
Remote, tele-operated surgery?
OR, ICU, EMT of the future?
Nano/bio devices? …
Key areas for potential joint research
Open control platforms
Reconfigurable coordinated control
Computational and networking substrate
Assured RTOS, networking,…
Middleware
Virtual machines

16. HCSS and NSF/CISE Actions

17. NITRD HCSS Coordinating Group Assessment Actions
National workshops on:
High Confidence Medical Device Software and Systems (HCMDSS),
Planning Workshop, Arlington VA, November 2004,
National R&D Road-mapping Workshop, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 2005,
High Confidence Aviation Systems (title TBD)
Planning Workshop, Seattle, WA, November 21-22, 2005
National R&D Road-mapping Workshop, venue TBD, June/July 2006
High Confidence Critical Infrastructures: “The Electric Power Grid: Beyond SCADA”
Planning
EU-US Planning meeting, October, 2005
US Planning Workshop, Washington, DC, November 3-4, 2005
Workshops
US National R&D Road-mapping Workshop, venue TBD, March, 2006
EU-US Workshop, Framework Program 7 linkage

18. NITRD HCSS Coordinating Group Assessment Actions (continued)
Backdrop:
NSF/OSTP Critical Infrastructure Protection Workshop, Leesburg, VA, September 2002,
NSF Workshop, on CIP for SCADA, Minneapolis MN, October 2003
National Academies’ study: “Sufficient Evidence? Design for Certifiably Dependable Systems”,
HCSS real-time operating systems research needs assessment:
Real-time embedded systems technical base evaluation and prospectus, September-October 2005
Scope: secure RTOS, virtual machines, middleware
Industry input (NDA):
System integration houses, labs, FFRDCs,
RTOS/middleware vendor perspective, OMG
National Coordination Office summary report(s) derived from workshops, industry input sessions, NAS study

19. Conclusion: A Possible PSERC Research Agenda?
Exploit renewables and distributed generation/micro-grid research as CIP breakthrough opportunity. Why?
Concept development hotbed for systems of secure, distributed, real-time embedded systems
Vector for change via new and emerging markets, decentralization
Fosters US competitiveness in control systems and embedded systems technologies
Foster multi-disciplinary work that includes the IT research community. Why?
Leverage; investment multiplier
NSF CISE-ENG grass-roots enthusiasm for cooperation in this area (Tomsovic, Baheti, Schwartzkopf, Rodriguez, Rotea, Gill, …)
Initial NSF/DoE/DHS cooperation for secure electric power systems (Cyber Trust)
Who else will do this?

20. So Far: NSF CISE Investments in Critical Infrastructure, Power Systems
CISE/CNS Computer Systems Research Program
Embedded and Hybrid Systems disciplinary area
(Watch for new emphasis areas in FY 2006 announcement)
CISE/CNS Networking Research
“Clean Slate” Internet research initiative
Planning grant: study on real-time networking for critical infrastructures
NSF Science and Technology Center: TRUST
UC Berkeley, with Vanderbilt, Cornell, Stanford, CMU, …
Engineering Research Centers: current competition
Information Technology Research, competition ended, active grants remain (EU-US linkages, G.3 and D.4):
Center for Hybrid and Embedded Systems (CHESS), UC Berkeley
Secure and Robust IT Architectures to Improve Survivability of the Power Grid, CMU/WSU
Multi-Layered Architecture for Reliable and Secure Large-Scale Networks, CMU
Infrastructure Programs:
Major Research Infrastructure: Laboratory to Study FACTS Device Interactions, U. of Missouri at Rolla
Cyber Trust (FY 2005 Center-Scale portfolio, TBA 2-3 weeks)

21. Thank you

22. High-Confidence Software and Systems (HCSS) Agencies
Air Force Research Laboratories*
Army Research Office*
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Department of Energy
Federal Aviation Administration*
Food and Drug Administration*
National Air & Space Administration
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Science and Technology
National Science Foundation
National Security Agency
Office of Naval Research*
* Cooperating agencies