Phd in AUTOMATIC CONTROL, BIOENGINEERING AND OPERATIONS RESEARCH

Thesis title: DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURES - A control perspective on security and operations management processes

The deep integration between the cyber and physical domains gives rise to many challenges and opportunities. On the one hand, the increased computational capabilities and data availability allow defining innovative solutions to boost industries’ efficiency and productivity. On the other hand, there is the need to consider that such integration increases the organizations’ attack surfaces (i.e., their exposure to threats and, consequently, attacks) and thus holistic protection mechanisms must be developed. Building on this context, the present thesis is aimed at investigating the development and deployment of Decision Support Systems (DSSs) in the specific framework of Critical Infrastructures (CIs) which are characterized by strong requirements in terms of Security, Privacy, and Safety. This issue will be tackled with the double purpose of providing CIs’ operators with useful tools aimed at (i) characterizing the security posture of given organizations and proposing security configurations matching the desired security level and (ii) exploiting the opportunities arising from the widespread diffusion of smart sensors and connected devices In other words, the thesis will cover both the advantages and threats of deploying smart devices in critical environments. Following this consideration, the thesis has been articulated into two main blocks. The former one, benefitting from the work performed in the context of the H2020 ATENA project, is focused on the development of a DSS for suggesting to CIs’ operators the optimal deployment of protection mechanisms. The latter one, benefitting from the work performed in the context of the H2020 SESAME project, is focused on developing a DSS supporting Critical Manufacturing (CM) operators in operations management.