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At least 793 records · Page 44

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2025

Bayesian Attack Model (BAM) User Story

This document presents a user story for the Bayesian Attack Model (BAM) tool designed to aggregate and analyze cyber-attack observables for operational technology (OT) systems. BAM aims to empower cybersecurity analysts by providing a streamlined interface for collecting observable data from various sources, enabling real-time analysis of potential adversary activity. By enhancing the response capabilities of security teams, BAM facilitates risk-informed decision-making and improves organizational security posture. This user story outlines the key functionalities, user interactions, and requirements necessary to successfully integrate BAM with other security information and event management (SIEM) technology and cybersecurity operations centers (CSOCs).

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2020

Finding of Effect and Mitigation Documentation for the Power and Communications System in Mercury, Area 23, Nevada National Security Site, Nye County, Nevada

The U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office (NNSA/NFO) proposes to make multiple upgrades and additions to the power and communications (P&C) system related to modernization activities in the town of Mercury at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) in Nye County, Nevada. The purpose of this letter report is to submit documentation related to the finding of effect and mitigation for the undertaking of modifications to and mitigation of the P&C system in Mercury. This submission is intended to comply with the stipulations in the Programmatic Agreement between the National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office and the Nevada State Historic Preservation Officer Regarding Modernization and Operational Maintenance of the Nevada National Security Site, at Mercury in Nye County, Nevada, hereafter referred to as the Mercury PA. The town of Mercury and the immediate surrounding area have been designated the Mercury Historic District (MHD; SHPO Resource #D230), which is a property eligible to the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria A and C for its importance in supporting nuclear testing and scientific research from 1951 through 1992. During the initial architectural survey (Reno et al. 2018), the P&C system was identified as contributing to the eligibility of the district.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Evaluating software defined networking solutions to reduce the digital attack surface of nuclear security systems

Most nuclear security systems used today were not designed for today’s threat environment. Systems that were intended to be stand alone are now interconnected. Devices that have a single purpose are built on multi-purpose platforms and communication protocols that, while effective, have no ability to authenticate authorized versus unauthorized commands. These attributes provide an attacker significant ability to affect the system, pivot throughout the interconnected networks, and remain undetected if he/she is able to compromise a single node. Software defined networking (SDN) has been used for years by information technology (IT) cloud service providers to quickly provision or remove servers or other systems to meet changing demand. The same concept has recently been applied to operational technology (OT) systems to enable very fast failover on critical systems that have stringent and deterministic (<5ms) transmit/receive times. By carefully engineering the communication flows through a network using preplanned routes and specific pathways it is possible to achieve deterministic and extremely reliable message delivery even when components fail. This engineering approach to network design has added security benefits including securing the networking control plane, eliminating network scanning and mapping, inhibiting ARP spoofing and host masquerading, eliminating unauthorized network pivoting and enabling greater situational awareness on the network. SDN in OT environments is new but early testing in electrical power and other critical infrastructure has shown it to be a very powerful tool for building reliable networks and reducing the digital attack surface of the network. The authors tested a software defined network switch on a simple physical protection system with components commonly found in nuclear security systems and found improved mitigations to denial of service attacks, lateral movement and network reconnaissance. The paper details the tests and their results.

Cyber security, Nuclear security, software defined↗

DOE OSTI2018

EPA and Idaho National Laboratory create first of its scale

Advancing the science and engineering of decontaminating water distribution systems and safely disposing of high-volumes of contaminated water are high priorities for the EPA. To help address these science gaps, EPA homeland security researchers have developed the first-of-its-scale Water Security Test Bed (WSTB). Water is an important component of everyday life. We rely on safe, clean water for our health and the health of the environment. Protecting this vital resource is critical to living safely and securely. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for working with water utilities to protect water systems from contamination and to clean up systems that become contaminated. Purposeful or inadvertent distribution system contamination can result in large amounts of infrastructure and water that must be cleaned. Water distribution systems contamination can be caused by, for example, natural disasters such as Superstorm Sandy or by individuals hoping to cause harm. The WSTB, constructed at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Idaho National Laboratory, replicates a section of a typical municipal drinking water system including a piping system with roughly 445 feet of pipe and two fire hydrants laid out in an “L” shape using 40-year-old, eight-inch cement mortar lined, ductile iron pipes, excavated after twenty years of use for water conveyance. Researchers built the WSTB above ground for easy access during experiments, and to facilitate fast leak detection. Over the next several years, EPA and partner researchers will conduct experiments using simulants of various biological, chemical, and radioactive materials that simulate high toxic versions of these agents. At this “full” sized system, researchers will demonstrate approaches to contamination detection, sensor and model testing, infrastructure decontamination, water treatment and cyber testing developed at lab and pilot scale. Researchers are also able to verify if laboratory results that were effective in controlled conditions are as effective in full-scale testing. Having the ability to conduct bench scale studies in a real world setting can help address specific research gaps, and help water researchers understand conditions in which real world drinking water systems operate.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2026

A Feasibility Study on the Integration of Human Performance Data From Diverse Sources Based on the Complexity of a Proceduralized Task

Securing the safety of socio-technical systems including nuclear facilities is the upmost goal to ensure their sustainability because historical records demonstrate that the performance degradation of human operators (e.g., human errors) is one of the crucial contributors to the occurrence of unexpected events resulting in extensive casualties and financial losses. This implies that the collection of human performance data in diverse conditions with which they could be faced during the operation of nuclear facilities. As this collection requires significant resources, it is necessary to resolve how to accomplish it with limited resources. To address this challenge, as suggested in the SHEEP framework, it is indispensable to extract valuable insights after integrating various kinds of human performance data obtained from different sources. However, a practical method to soundly integrate them seems to be still incomplete. Accordingly, the applicability of TACOM (Task Complexity) measure is investigated as a tool to identify useful information based on the integration of human performance data observed from different simulation conditions. As a result, it is expected that the TACOM measure would play an important role in addressing the technical challenge in securing human performance data.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

NASA NTRS2004

Spaceflight Operations Services Grid (SOSG) Prototype Implementation and Feasibility Study

Science Operations Services Grid is focusing on building a prototype grid-based environment that incorporates existing and new spaceflight services to enable current and future NASA programs with cost savings and new and evolvable methods to conduct science in a distributed environment. The Science Operations Services Grid (SOSG) will provide a distributed environment for widely disparate organizations to conduct their systems and processes in a more efficient and cost effective manner. These organizations include those that: 1) engage in space-based science and operations, 2) develop space-based systems and processes, and 3) conduct scientific research, bringing together disparate scientific disciplines like geology and oceanography to create new information. In addition educational outreach will be significantly enhanced by providing to schools the same tools used by NASA with the ability of the schools to actively participate on many levels in the science generated by NASA from space and on the ground. The services range from voice, video and telemetry processing and display to data mining, high level processing and visualization tools all accessible from a single portal. In this environment, users would not require high end systems or processes at their home locations to use these services. Also, the user would need to know minimal details about the applications in order to utilize the services. In addition, security at all levels is an underlying goal of the project. The Science Operations Services Grid will focus on four tools that are currently used by the ISS Payload community along with nine more that are new to the community. Under the prototype four Grid virtual organizations PO) will be developed to represent four types of users. They are a Payload (experimenters) VO, a Flight Controllers VO, an Engineering and Science Collaborators VO and an Education and Public Outreach VO. The User-based services will be implemented to replicate the operational voice, video, telemetry and commanding systems. Once the User-based services are in place, they will be analyzed to establish feasibility for Grid enabling. If feasible then each User-based service will be Grid enabled. The remaining non-Grid services if not already Web enabled will be so enabled. In the end, four portals will be developed one for each VO. Each portal will contain the appropriate User-based services required for that VO to operate.

Bradford, Robert N.↗

DOE OSTI2018

Space in 21st Century Conflict: Calibrating Risks, Tailoring Strategies (Workshop Summary)

U.S. strategic thinking on outer space security has been slow to evolve since the 1990s and the DoD finds itself struggling to develop an adaptive and cohesive strategy for the domain. Russia and China, however, have been thinking about space in a holistic and integrated way for some time. Both countries recognize that U.S. conventional strength relies heavily on technologies and systems enabled by space-based assets. Thus, holding those assets at risk represents an opportunity to asymmetrically counter America’s ability to project power. China and Russia been developing a suite of anti-satellite (ASAT) capabilities to accomplish this, to include direct-ascent weapons, space-based weapons, jammers, and cyber capabilities; both countries have also incorporated these systems into their respective tactical and strategic planning. This represents a serious threat to U.S. power projection and assurance of our regional allies and partners. Assuring the U.S.’s ability to operate in space is paramount for supporting regional security missions in both Europe and East Asia. Assuring DoD operations and capabilities in outer space, however, remains a challenge for the defense community. One solution offered by strategists is to enhance U.S. resiliency in space to turn the domain from offense dominant to defense dominant. This, they argue, can be achieved by improving space situational awareness (SSA), protecting space assets with active and passive countermeasures, disaggregating assets and leveraging new commercial space capabilities, and integrating allied space capabilities. However, many barriers remain to accomplishing these objectives. For example, some think that the classified nature of many U.S. space activities is an obstacle to deepening cooperation with commercial partners and allies. Others acknowledge the lack of a working model for incorporating cheaper, diverse, and scalable commercial space systems. Identifying where space fits into broader U.S. deterrence strategies is a subject of contention. While discussions over the past few years have focused on the practicability of deterring attacks on space assets via cross-domain threats, this line of thinking has yielded few useful insights. Consequently, defense practitioners have more recently shifted to thinking of space as part of an integrated deterrence concept, one that envisions building resiliency and defenses into our space architecture while simultaneously holding an adversary’s space-based assets at risk to enhance deterrence more broadly. However, both approaches illuminate a larger problem in the discussion of the relationship between space and deterrence: there is a lack of consensus on what it is we are trying to deter, how space fits into broader deterrence and strategic constructs, and the role of space in extended deterrence and assurance of allies. For example, is the United States’ priority to discourage attacks in space, to ensure regional power projection and alliance support capabilities, to deter broader global conflict or all of the above? Answering such questions will be an important step toward integrating space into a comprehensive defense strategy.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗

DOE OSTI2018

Design Considerations for Secure Wireless Sensor Communication Systems in Harsh Electromagnetic Environments of Nuclear Reactor Facilities

Wireless sensors can potentially play a significant role in safety, efficiency, and reliability of the instrumentation and control process in current and next generation nuclear power reactors. While conventional narrowband wireless sensors have shown a certain level of success in some nuclear power plants (NPPs), the radio frequency (RF) propagation challenges posed by the heavy metallic and cluttered environment of NPPs has prevented their widespread use in such operations. Furthermore, these challenges include RF wave propagation in harsh (reflective, absorptive, cluttered) environments, data security issues, and RF interference to and from other devices in the vicinity of a nuclear reactor core. In this paper, first we address how ultrawideband (UWB) RF technology can complement the narrowband (i.e., WiFi) solutions that have been used in some NPPs by providing an alternative solution in addressing the signal propagation issues in such electromagnetically harsh environments. Second, we discuss and present the UWB software simulation results on multipath harsh environments, and then address the data security issues. In the final sections of the paper, we present the experimental results of using UWB signaling in a representative harsh environment conducted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology research reactor site. We plan to develop the UWB communications hardware based on the results of this paper and report on its performance in the field with emphasis on the security aspects of the system in a subsequent paper.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2018

GoldenEye: stream-based network packet inspection using GPUs

High-performance packet analysis systems have attracted great interest as tools to deal with security concerns in high-speed networks. Recently, researchers have utilized GPUs to improve packet processing performance. However, most existing work has been targeted at per-packet analysis level. Flow-centric operations have been challenging for GPUs because they require sequential operations and large buffers for flow reassembly. In this work, we present the GoldenEye GPU Packet Processing System (GoldenEye), a deep packet inspection (DPI) system that tracks out-of-order TCP packets and provides streambased signature matching. When a batch of packets arrives, GoldenEye sorts packets into flow-reassembled streams and normalizes retransmission through a GPU-implemented reordering module. For signatures that straddle batch boundaries, GoldenEye couples a small set of metadata with a functionallyequivalent minimal regular expression retrieval algorithm to connect the partial matches. Results show that GoldenEye can reassemble tens of millions of packets/sec and conduct stateful DPI operations on TCP streams at multi-ten Gbit/sec rates.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2019

The Resilient Energy Platform

The provision of reliable, secure, and affordable electricity is essential to power economic growth and development. The power system is at risk from an array of natural, human-caused, and technological threats, which can cause everything from power interruption to chronic undersupply of energy. It is critical for policymakers, planners, and system operators to safeguard their power systems from these threats by proactively planning for future needs and investing in resilient power systems. Developed through the USAID-NREL Partnership, the Resilient Energy Platform is a website that provides expertly curated resources, training materials, data, tools, and direct technical assistance in planning resilient, sustainable, and secure power systems.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2022

The evolution of the Human Systems and Simulation Laboratory in nuclear power research

The events at Three Mile Island in the United States brought about fundamental changes in the ways that simulation would be used in nuclear operations. The need for research simulators was identified to scientifically study human-centered risk and make recommendations for process control system designs. This paper documents the human factors research conducted at the Human Systems and Simulation Laboratory (HSSL) since its inception in 2010 at Idaho National Laboratory. The facility’s primary purposes are to provide support to utilities for system upgrades and to validate modernized control room concepts. In the last decade, however, as nuclear industry needs have evolved, so too have the purposes of the HSSL. Thus, beyond control room modernization, human factors researchers have evaluated the security of nuclear infrastructure from cyber adversaries and evaluated human-in-the-loop simulations for joint operations with an integrated hydrogen generation plant. Lastly, our review presents research using human reliability analysis techniques with data collected from HSSL-based studies and concludes with potential future directions for the HSSL, including severe accident management and advanced control room technologies.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

DOE OSTI2023

A Scalable Quantum Cryptography Network for Protected Automation Communication (Final Report)

This is the final report for a CEDS-funded project aimed at developing a new quantum technology for securing utility communication networks used to control and monitor electrical grid equipment. Securing these control networks represents a unique challenge as the performance of the security solution has a direct impact on the stability and reliability of the electrical grid. Traditional, software-based solutions - developed for information networks - are not suitable for utility control networks because they introduce latency, require burdensome maintenance and upgrades, are often incompatible with legacy equipment, and introduce operational complexity that reduces grid reliability. Consequently, many U.S. utilities do not use existing solutions and, instead, protect their critical control networks through the careful isolation and obscuration of their networked equipment. With more utilities embracing grid automation, the attack surface that utilities must defend from hackers has grown to an unmanageable size. To address this situation, Qubitekk and its partners proposed and developed a hardware-based solution that can secure critical control networks without negatively impacting grid performance. This new solution is based on quantum key distribution (QKD) techniques that guarantee secure key generation and distribution across a utility control network. Through deployment and field testing of a prototype QKD system, we have shown that this solution delivers long-term network security, is technically feasible to implement and maintain on a utility’s distribution substation network and does not negatively impact grid operations. In addition, the project has identified and solved key challenges associated with generating, transmitting, and measuring coherent photonic quantum states on a real-world fiber optic network. These additional findings are playing a critical role in advancing quantum networks for quantum computing applications. An overview of the QKD prototype development effort, field testing activities and results, and additional findings relevant to emerging quantum networks are presented in this report.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2015

Apparatus, system and method for providing cryptographic key information with physically unclonable function circuitry

Techniques and mechanisms for providing a value from physically unclonable function (PUF) circuitry for a cryptographic operation of a security module. In an embodiment, a cryptographic engine receives a value from PUF circuitry and based on the value, outputs a result of a cryptographic operation to a bus of the security module. The bus couples the cryptographic engine to control logic or interface logic of the security module. In another embodiment, the value is provided to the cryptographic engine from the PUF circuitry via a signal line which is distinct from the bus, where any exchange of the value by either of the cryptographic engine and the PUF circuitry is for communication of the first value independent of the bus.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2017

Laboratory-Directed Research and Development 2016 Summary Annual Report

The Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) reports its status to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) by March of each year. The program operates under the authority of DOE Order 413.2C, “Laboratory Directed Research and Development” (April 19, 2006), which establishes DOE’s requirements for the program while providing the laboratory director broad flexibility for program implementation. LDRD funds are obtained through a charge to all INL programs. This report includes summaries of all INL LDRD research activities supported during Fiscal Year (FY) 2016. INL is the lead laboratory for the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE). The INL mission is to discover, demonstrate, and secure innovative nuclear energy solutions, other clean energy options, and critical infrastructure with a vision to change the world’s energy future and secure our critical infrastructure. Operating since 1949, INL is the nation’s leading research, development, and demonstration center for nuclear energy, including nuclear nonproliferation and physical and cyber-based protection of energy systems and critical infrastructure, as well as integrated energy systems research, development, demonstration, and deployment. INL has been managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (a wholly owned company of Battelle) for DOE since 2005. Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC, is a partnership between Battelle, BWX Technologies, Inc., AECOM, the Electric Power Research Institute, the National University Consortium (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ohio State University, North Carolina State University, University of New Mexico, and Oregon State University), and the Idaho university collaborators (i.e., University of Idaho, Idaho State University, and Boise State University). Since its creation, INL’s research and development (R&D) portfolio has broadened with targeted programs supporting national missions to advance nuclear energy, enable clean energy deployment, and secure and modernize critical infrastructure. INL’s research, development, and demonstration capabilities, its resources, and its unique geography enable integration of scientific discovery, innovation, engineering, operations, and controls into complex large-scale testbeds for discovery, innovation, and demonstration of transformational clean energy and security concepts. These attributes strengthen INL’s leadership as a demonstration laboratory. As a national resource, INL also applies its capabilities and skills to the specific needs of other federal agencies and customers through DOE’s Strategic Partnership Program.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Cybersecurity Assessment in DER-rich Distribution Operations: Criticality Levels and Impact Analysis

The integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) in distribution networks has become a pivotal strategy for achieving decarbonization, enhancing grid resilience, and optimizing grid efficiency. Remote monitoring and control op- erations of such resources rely on a network of sensors and communication infrastructure, exposing the system to potential cyber threats. Therefore, as the deployment of DERs increases, ensuring secure monitoring and control becomes an imperative challenge. This paper utilizes real-time feeder models, which are instrumental in developing cybersecurity testbeds tailored for hardware-in-loop (HIL) systems. These models enable users to simulate cyber attacks in a real-world environment and analyze the power distribution operations during vulnerabilities. Furthermore, we discuss several practical sets of grid parameters to identify critical levels of DERs and evaluate various scenarios that simulate cyber threats on sensitive DERs. The modified IEEE 123-bus model is used as the test case for demonstrating the proposed scenarios. The findings from this study provide valuable insights into the vulnerabilities and potential consequences of cyber attacks on DERs, allowing for better mitigation strategies and improved cyber resilience in future distribution networks.

Maharjan, Manisha↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Immutable Secure Data Exchange and Storage for Urban Air Mobility Environments

Urban air mobility (UAM) is a concept that proposes to develop short-range aerial vehicles to overcome increasing surface congestion. Within the UAM environment, UAM operators work collaboratively to manage aerial vehicles in the urban environment. Providers of Services for UAM (PSU), UAM operators, and Supplemental Data Service Providers (SDSP) provide services to support flight operations within the UAM environment. The growth in the development of UAM systems, and the associated data exchange and service interactions will be at risk due to numerous types of cybersecurity attacks. To address these challenges, this research focuses on the secure data exchange and storage of this decentralized UAM environment. The intent of this research is to leverage a permissioned blockchain approach to address cybersecurity threats that may impact a UAM environment.

Urban Air Mobility↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Immutable Secure Data Exchange and Storage for Urban Air Mobility Environments

Urban Air Mobility↗

DOE OSTI2017

Akatosh: Automated Cyber Incident Verification and Impact Analysis

Akatosh, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security Transition to Practice Program (TTP) project developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory with industry and academic partnership, enables automated, real-time forensic analysis of endpoints after malware-attacks and other cyber security incidents by automatically maintaining detailed snapshots of host-level activity on endpoints over time. It achieves this by integrating intrusion detection systems (IDS) with forensic tools. The combination allows Akatosh to collect vast amounts of endpoint data and assists in verifying, tracking, and analyzing endpoints in real time. This provides operations personnel and analysts as well as managers and executives with continuous feedback on the impact of malicious software and other security incidents on endpoints in their network.

Smith, Jared M.↗