Learning-based attacks in cyber-physical systems

Understand

We introduce the problem of learning-based attacks in a simple abstraction of cyber-physical systems---the case of a discrete-time, linear, time-invariant plant that may be subject to an attack that overrides the sensor readings and the controller actions.

• The attacker attempts to learn the dynamics of the plant and subsequently override the controller's actuation signal, to destroy the plant without being detected.
• The attacker can feed fictitious sensor readings to the controller using its estimate of the plant dynamics and mimic the legitimate plant operation.
• The controller, on the other hand, is constantly on the lookout for an attack; once the controller detects an attack, it immediately shuts the plant off.