Modeling Telecommunications Infrastructures Using the CISIApro 2.0 Simulator

Abstract

Telecommunications are an important part of our lives and they are a vital component of Industrial and Automation Control Systems (IACSs) that control Critical Infrastructures. Nowadays, the integration of IACS with the Information Technology system is a reality, mainly due to economic saves. However, this integration has lead to new troubles related to the spread of cyber threats which can be caused also damage to the physical infrastructures. Telecommunications are one of the possible reasons for which an adverse event on a single infrastructure can be amplified giving rise to high-impact crises.Modeling Critical infrastructures is a complex and multi-disciplinary problem that is mandatory to understand the domino effect on interdependent complex networks. CISIApro 2.0, an agent-based simulator, models interconnected infrastructures to assess the consequences of adverse events, such as failures, cyber-attacks, and natural disasters, and restoring actions. CISIApro 2.0 has been adapted to model telecommunication infrastructure, in terms of network routing and the allocation of differentiated services. CISIApro 2.0 is validated in a modern telecommunication network within the European H2020 RESISTO project. RE-SISTO helps communication infrastructures operators during the decision process exploiting the combined use of preparatory analyses, detection and reaction technologies in the physical and cyber domains.