Addressing Cybersecurity Risks by Considering Physical, Human, and Economic Aspects

When: Monday, March 20, 2017
Where: PGH 232
Time: 11:00 AM – Noon

Speaker: Prof. Aron Laszka, Vanderbilt University

Host: Dr. Omprakash Gnawali

In recent years, we have seen a number of successful cyberattacks against high-profile targets, which have demonstrated that resourceful and determined attackers can penetrate even highly secure and isolated systems. In light of these attacks, it becomes apparent that cybersecurity risks cannot be addressed by focusing only on technological solutions for preventing cyber breaches. This talk will show how cybersecurity risks can be addressed by considering the complex interplay between systems and their human users and attackers as well as the underlying physical processes and economic incentives. Specifically, I will discuss cyberattacks against cyber-physical systems, such as smart transportation and water-distribution networks. Based on the physical characteristics of these systems, I will show how to assess cyber-risks posed by targeted attacks and how to deploy and configure intrusion detection systems for optimal risk mitigation. I will also consider the human and economic aspects of security. In practice, the weakest link in security is most often the human element, which attackers can exploit through social-engineering attacks, such as spear phishing. I will discuss optimal strategies against these attacks, as well as optimal investments into further mitigation.

Bio:

Aron Laszka is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Vanderbilt University. His research interests broadly revolve around the security and resilience of cyber-physical systems, the economics of cyber-security, and game-theoretic modeling of security problems. Previously, he was a Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley from 2015 to 2016, and a Postdoctoral Research Scholar at Vanderbilt University from 2014 to 2015. He graduated summa cum laude with a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in 2014. In 2013, he was a Visiting Research Scholar at the Pennsylvania State University.