SeCNet: Synthesis and Control for Networks of Trust

SPRING 2018 RESEARCH INCUBATION AWARDEES

Pl: Wenchao Li, Electrical and Computer Engineering, ENG
Co-Pl: Roberto Tron, Mechanical Engineering, ENG

By taking advantage of the physical-sensing capabilities of robots, it is possible to craft a cyber-resilient network that can provide strong guarantees on the safety, reliability, security, and performance of the overall system. At the core of the project is an intrasurveillance paradigm, called a Network of Trust, in which anomalous behaviors of an agent due to, for instance, an external cyberattack, can be detected with minimal lag. It aims to develop a general theoretical framework that can support a large number of practical applications, with the goal of detecting if an agent exhibits behaviors anomalous from the coordinated task (e.g., leaves the formation occasionally as controlled by an attacker). While large-scale hacking events have been limited to data, it is easy to imagine that similar incidents in the near feature could take advantage of the increasing amount of automation to expand the attack reach to physical damages. It is therefore of critical importance to devise strategies that can preemptively address these threats.

This work is funded by a Research Incubation Award made in January, 2018.