IUCRC Phase I: The University of Arkansas: Center for Infrastructure Trustworthiness in Energy Systems (CITES)

能源系统基础设施可信度中心（CITES）是一个新的第一阶段IUCRC，专注于网络弹性和能源系统可信度关键领域的研究问题（例如，电网发电、输电和配电），这些都广泛依赖于网络技术。CITES由三所大学组成（伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校、阿肯色州大学和佛罗里达国际大学），旨在推进研究和技术，解决未满足和服务不足的行业需求，以更好地保护能源系统。CITES将与其成员（紧急医疗服务办公室、能源供应商、国家实验室和行业协会）密切合作，通过开发研究，帮助确保国防安全，从而找到保护能源系统免受网络基础设施故障和攻击的实用方法。《濒危物种贸易公约》处理的基本问题涉及在这些“操作技术”系统的专门要求背景下的网络复原力，包括操作技术设备的异质性以及与更广泛使用的信息技术设备的整合。该中心将专注于检测和快速响应对网络基础设施的攻击，从成功攻击的影响中快速恢复，降低修补操作系统的成本和风险，并确保设备之间的通信速度足够快，并且有足够的容量来支持操作。CITES还将在增加国家的OT知识网络安全专业人员的劳动力方面发挥重要作用。研究方法包括系统设计，系统分析，形式化方法和其他数学，以及原型的经验评估。CITES的技术贡献包括知识创造、知识转移和利用阿肯色州大学电力系统设施的经验性概念证明。能源供应商通过观察提高网络安全性和弹性的潜力而受益;设备制造商从经过验证的想法中受益，其他利益相关者从增加的知识中受益。阿肯色州大学的CITES研究围绕五个方面展开：1）漏洞评估和缓解--评估安全漏洞风险并以最佳方式缓解漏洞的方法; 2）基于人工智能的攻击检测--利用人工智能的最新进展，及时有效地检测攻击、事件和异常的方法; 3）安全和弹性通信-使能源系统网络和通信安全免受攻击并对故障具有弹性的方法; 4）供应链安全-用于在供应链中提供完整性、来源和其他安全属性的方法;和5）电力电子器件的设计加固和安全性-用于保护电力电子器件的参考设计和技术，例如固件安全性和内部该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Center for Infrastructure Trustworthiness in Energy Systems (CITES), a new Phase I IUCRC, focuses on research issues in the critical area of cyber resilience and the trustworthiness of energy systems (e.g., electric grid generation, transmission, and distribution), which have an extensive dependence on cyber technology. Composed of three University sites (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Arkansas, and Florida International University), CITES seeks to advance research and technologies that addresses unmet and underserved industry needs to better secure energy systems. In close partnership with its members (Offices of Emergency Medical Services, energy providers, national labs, and industry associations), CITES will help secure the national defense by developing research that leads to practical means of protecting energy systems against failure within and attacks upon their cyber infrastructures. The fundamental issues addressed by CITES concern cyber resilience in the context of the specialized requirements for these “operational technology” (OT) systems, issues which include the heterogeneity of OT equipment, and integration with much more widely used informational technology (IT) equipment. The Center will focus on detecting and quickly responding to attacks on the cyber infrastructure, rapidly recovering from the impacts of successful attacks, decreasing the costs and risks of patching operational systems, and ensuring that communication between devices happens fast enough and with enough volume to support operations. CITES will also serve an important role in augmenting the nation’s workforce in OT-knowledgeable cyber-security professionals.Research methodologies include system design, system analysis, formal methods and other mathematics, and empirical evaluation of prototypes. CITES technical contributions include knowledge creation, knowledge transfer, and empirical proofs of concept that utilize the power system facilities at the University of Arkansas. Energy providers benefit by observing the potential for increased cybersecurity and resilience; Equipment manufacturers benefit from proven ideas and other stakeholders benefit from increased knowledge. CITES research at the University of Arkansas is organized around five thrusts: 1) Vulnerability assessment and mitigation – methods for assessing the risks of security vulnerabilities and mitigating vulnerabilities in optimal ways; 2) Artificial intelligence-based attack detection – methods for detecting attacks, incidents, and anomalies timely and effectively, leveraging recent advances in artificial intelligence; 3) Secure and resilient communications – methods to make energy system networks and communications secure against attacks and resilient against failures; 4) Supply chain security – methods for provisioning integrity, provenance, and other security properties in supply chains; and 5) Power electronic device hardening and security-by-design – reference designs and technologies for securing power electronics, such as firmware security and in-device attack detection.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.