Specification and verification of a topology-aware access control model for cyber-physical space

Abstract

The cyber-physical space is a spatial environment that integrates the cyber and physical worlds to provide an intelligent environment for users to conduct their day-to-day activities. Mobile users and mobile objects are ubiquitous in this space, thereby exerting tremendous pressure on its security model. This model must ensure that both cyber and physical objects are always handled securely in this dynamic environment. In this paper, we propose a systematic solution to be able to specify security policies of the cyber-physical space and ensure that security requirements hold in these policies. We first formulate a topology configuration model to capture the topology characteristics of the cyber and physical worlds. Then, based on this model, a Topology-Aware Cyber-Physical Access Control model (TA-CPAC) is proposed, which can ensure the security of the cyber and physical worlds at the same time by adjusting permission assignment dynamically. Then, the topology configuration and TA-CPAC models are formalized by bigraphs and Bigraph Reactive System (BRS), respectively, allowing us to use model checking to rationalize the consequences of the evolution of topological configurations on the satisfaction of security requirements. Finally, a case study on a building automation access control system is conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

A Multidimensional Approach for Formal Modeling and Analyzing Medical Cyber-Physical Systems

“…There were also some interesting works [23][24][25] based on the BRS formalism, which is stated in our work. Authors in [23] have introduced the concept of topology configuration that captures the characteristics of cyber-physical spaces' environment.…”

“…The paper [24] continued to use the TA-CPAC model and provided a systematic solution for specifying security policies in a cyber-physical space and ensuring the satisfaction of security requirements by considering the dynamic topology of the environment. It introduces a reduction algorithm to simplify the modeling process and improve the efficiency of model checking.…”

Inter‐cloud secure data sharing and its formal verification

“…To address cybersecurity and physical security issues, 47‐49 Cao et al 50p resented a topology‐aware cyber‐physical access control model (TA‐CPAC). The topology configuration and the model itself were formally modeled using bigraph language and bigraph reactive system (BRS), respectively.…”