Sandia Labs FY21 LDRD Annual Report

FY21 ANNUAL REPORT

Adaptive intrusion response for space systems (AIRSS). The U.S. government critically depends on space systems for government and commercial applications. As technological and financial barriers to space are decreasing, access to space is becoming more achievable, which only increases threats to the nation’s space systems. As cyber threats evolve, the space community recognizes it is impossible to prevent all cyber-attacks, so cyber security measures need to be complemented with resilience technologies to overcome a spectrum of cyber-physical threats and ensure the survival of mission critical assets. The AIRSS LDRD, part of the STARCS Mission Campaign, focused on developing a set of algorithms that can, in real-time, classify cyber-attacks on space systems and identify optimal mitigation responses for defeating the threats. The research leveraged generative algorithms, clustering, and mathematical optimization to create a tool set that provides space system operators with increased situational awareness and strategies for more rapid and effective responses against cyber threats. The AIRSS toolset will integrate with other capabilities (such as advanced anomaly detection tools) to create a holistic platform for both detection and response to cyber threats. Ultimately, this research will not only will enable resilient space systems to execute their missions despite the presence of an attacker, but also extend easily to other types of cyber-physical systems. (PI: Meghan Sahakian)

AIRSS enabling capabilities.

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LABORATORY DIRECTED RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT