NSF/ENG/ECCS-BSF: Collaborative Research: Foundations of secure multi-agent networked systems

这个研究项目的目标是开发一个新的框架，设计安全的多代理系统沿着的工具，他们的分析。控制理论、计算和通信领域的快速创新正在引领一类新的网络系统的发展，这些网络系统的特点是复杂的互连、组件的多样性以及与物理世界的交互。然而，从环境、经济和社会角度来看，这些网络系统的潜在好处受到保护它们的能力的限制。目前正在作出许多努力，通过开发安全通信协议和程序来解决根本的安全问题。PI在这里采取了不同的观点：他们不是开发保护现有系统的方法，而是开发设计系统的方法，这些系统本质上是安全的，并嵌入了漏洞检测机制。因此，PI将软件工程中流行的安全设计哲学扩展到网络动态系统的设计。在应用方面，拟议的研究计划将大大推进网络物理系统安全设计的前沿，进一步推动其在许多领域的使用，包括关键基础设施，如运输网络，发电和配电网络，供水和供气网络。PI还将通过开发新的交互式模块来促进教育推广，重点关注高中生CPS的安全问题，并指导研究生和本科生。拟议的计划建立在三个首要原则之上：（i）控制提供给代理的信息，（ii）嵌入隐藏的安全措施的代理，以及（iii）使动态鲁棒性和弹性。更具体地说，对于第一个原则，PI建议建立一个理论框架与新的设计方法，可以本地化和编码的信息和目标的代理。对于第二个原则，PI建议在网络系统中嵌入安全措施，以便轻松检测大信号的篡改及其对代理的影响。这些安全措施可以是被设计为随时间保持不变值并且可由代理本地计算的某些函数。对于第三个原则，PI建议利用鲁棒控制理论来处理小的攻击注入，此外，还引入了一种新的可控性概念，可以证明状态攻击恢复的保证。在智力价值方面，拟议的计划将统一和利用数学研究，即将动力系统，完全可积系统和哈密顿动力学中的对称性研究与工程工具相结合，以开发检测和挫败对系统攻击的方法。因此，它将建立新的和深化数学之间的现有联系，特别是几何和动力系统，和网络物理系统的研究。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

The goal of this research project is to develop a new framework for the design of secure multi-agent systems along with the tools necessary for their analysis. The rapid pace of innovation in the areas of control theory, computation, and communication is leading the way for a new class of networked systems characterized by their complex interconnections, diversity of components, and interactions with the physical world. The potential benefits of these networked systems from environmental, economic, and social perspectives are however limited by the ability to secure them. There are currently many efforts under way to address the underlying security issues by ways of developing secure communication protocols and procedures. The PIs take a different point of view here: instead of developing methods to secure existing systems, they develop methods to design systems that are inherently secure and embedded with breach detection mechanisms. The PIs thus expand the secure-by-design philosophy popular in software engineering to the design of networked dynamical systems. In terms of applications, the proposed research program will significantly push forward the frontiers of secure design of cyber-physical systems, furthering their use across many domains including critical infrastructures such as transportation networks, power generation and distribution networks, water and gas distribution networks. The PIs will also contribute to educational outreach by developing new interactive modules, focusing on security issues of CPS for high school students, and mentoring graduate and undergraduate students.The proposed program is built upon three overarching principles: (i) control the information given to the agents, (ii) embed the agents with hidden security measures, and (iii) make the dynamics robust and resilient. More specifically, for the first principle, the PIs propose to establish a theoretical framework with novel design methodologies that can localize and encode both information and objectives for the agents. For the second principle, the PIs propose to embed the networked system with security measures that allow to detect easily tampering with large signals and its effect on the agents. These security measures can be certain functions that are designed to maintain invariant values over time and are locally computable by the agents. For the third principle, the PIs propose to leverage robust control theory for dealing with small attack injections, and moreover, introduce a novel controllability notion with provable guarantees on state attack recovery. In terms of intellectual merit, the proposed program will unify and exploit research in mathematics, namely integrating the study of symmetries in dynamical systems, completely integrable systems, and Hamiltonian dynamics, with engineering tools to develop methods to detect and foil attacks on a system. As such, it will establish new and deepen existing connections between mathematics, especially geometry and dynamical systems, and the study of cyber-physical systems.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.