Jens-Uwe Dr. Bußer

Cyber-critical infrastructure protection using real-time payload-based anomaly detection

With an increasing demand of inter-connectivity and protocol standardization modern cyber-critical infrastructures are exposed to a multitude of serious threats that may give rise to severe damage for life and assets without the implementation of proper safeguards. Thus, we propose a method that is capable to reliably detect unknown, exploit-based attacks on cyber-critical infrastructures carried out over the network. We illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method by conducting experiments on network traffic that can be found in modern industrial control systems. Moreover, we provide results of a throughput measuring which demonstrate the real-time capabilities of our system.

Electronic distribution of airplane software and the impact of information security on airplane safety

The general trend towards ubiquitous networking has reached the realm of airplanes. E-enabled airplanes with wired and wireless network interfaces offer a wide spectrum of network applications, in particular electronic distribution of software (EDS), and onboard collection and off-board retrieval of airplane health reports. On the other hand, airplane safety may be heavily dependent on the security of data transported in these applications. The FAA mandates safety regulations and policies for the design and development of airplane software to ensure continued airworthiness. However, data networks have well known security vulnerabilities that can be exploited by attackers to corrupt and/or inhibit the transmission of airplane assets, i.e. software and airplane generated data. The aviation community has recognized the need to address these security threats. This paper explores the role of information security in emerging information technology (IT) infrastructure for distribution of safety-critical and business-critical airplane software and data. We present our threat analysis with related security objectives and state functional and assurance requirements necessary to achieve the objectives, in the spirit of the well-established Common Criteria (CC) for IT security evaluation. The investigation leverages our involvement with FAA standardization efforts. We present security properties of a generic system for electronic distribution of airplane software, and show how the presence of those security properties enhances airplane safety.