Abstract
Critical Infrastructures describe the set of large-scale physical systems, assets, and Cyber Systems, and provide the services that form the backbone for the well-being and security of people, societies, and nations. Any malfunction, degradation, or destruction of them would have very serious biotic and economic consequences. Their protection is an area of vital importance. As we move into the 21st century, more and more Critical Infrastructures are becoming interconnected. This leads to improved performance of their systems, but at the same time increases their exposure to dangerous situations and threats. In addition to physical attacks, malicious entities are now able to launch cyber-attack campaigns that can have devastating consequences in the real world. The security of Critical Infrastructures and their respective Cyber Systems is more urgent than ever.The aim of this PhD thesis is to develop new algorithms and hybrid prototypes, through which the design and implementation of in ...
Critical Infrastructures describe the set of large-scale physical systems, assets, and Cyber Systems, and provide the services that form the backbone for the well-being and security of people, societies, and nations. Any malfunction, degradation, or destruction of them would have very serious biotic and economic consequences. Their protection is an area of vital importance. As we move into the 21st century, more and more Critical Infrastructures are becoming interconnected. This leads to improved performance of their systems, but at the same time increases their exposure to dangerous situations and threats. In addition to physical attacks, malicious entities are now able to launch cyber-attack campaigns that can have devastating consequences in the real world. The security of Critical Infrastructures and their respective Cyber Systems is more urgent than ever.The aim of this PhD thesis is to develop new algorithms and hybrid prototypes, through which the design and implementation of integrated and innovative dynamic models and systems for the security of Critical Urban Infrastructures and their corresponding Cyber Systems can be achieved. These hybrid models and systems exploit state-of-the-art algorithms and technologies, a wide range of statistical tools and analysis algorithms, Artificial Intelligence approaches and its subcategories, Machine Learning and Deep Learning, as well as Fuzzy Logic algorithms. These models and systems have the ability to model, analyse, monitor and manage a wide range of complex problems, as well as the ability to identify and manage threats and vulnerabilities in their respective domains. As the scope of Critical Infrastructures and Cybersystems is vast, this PhD thesis mainly aims at the security of specific transport-related structures (e.g. roads and bridges), as well as the protection of computers and Internet of Things devices from physical or digital threats. More specifically, in the context of the PhD thesis, four innovative, integrated discrete hybrid models and corresponding systems, covering four different case studies, were developed, tested and proven in practice (with real-world data). Their modular structure makes them ideal for their interconnection with existing systems, extending them to cover an even wider range of needs and problems, and independently exploiting their individual vertebrae and subsystems as tools to address problems and challenges of the same or even different nature.Their development was carried out by developing innovative Software in the Python programming language and using the applications running in the integrated graphical environment of the MATLAB platform. The development and implementation of all innovative algorithms, methodologies, procedures and approaches were accomplished mostly from code written from scratch. The way the code files were written offers possibilities for interfacing with a large number of systems and technologies, while the MATLAB platform combined with the Python programming language dramatically expands the scope of application.The intelligent hybrid models and systems introduced in the literature contribute to enhance existing knowledge with a large number of individual innovations, creating tools and approaches that contribute significantly to the safety and security of Critical Infrastructures and Cyber Systems. They achieve very high results by playing a very important role in decision making by competent agencies and organisations.
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