MA-thesis: Investigating the resilience of critical infrastructures against cyber-security threats

The Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institute, EMI, with its 300 employees offers challenging, diverse tasks with responsibility and a lot of creative freedom to dedicated people. On behalf of our customers from various areas of industry and government, we apply the latest findings from science and research to concrete projects in an interdisciplinary manner. Our fields of application are defense, safety and security, space, automotive and aviation.

The Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institute, EMI has a vacant position in the department of Safety, Security and Resilience of Technical Systems in Efringen-Kirchen or Frieburg for a master thesis on the subject: Investigating the resilience of critical infrastructures against cyber-security threats.

What you will do

Background:
Fraunhofer EMI is researching the resilience of critical infrastructures, such as energy suppliers, hospitals, and maritime transportation networks, against cyber-security threats. They are constructing a network model to simulate the impact of incidents and countermeasures. The objective is to understand the scale of cyber-attacks, their consequences, and the necessary mitigation measures. This research utilizes knowledge from established databases and aims to demonstrate a proof of concept for modeling and simulating these events.

Tasks:
The master’s thesis aims to comprehensively analyze SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems utilized in critical infrastructures. The research will focus on identifying the most prevalent SCADA systems and modeling their architectures using graph theory. Using this approach, along with literature review, the research work intends to uncover vulnerabilities within these systems and evaluate their impact on the overall performance of the associated Critical Infrastructure.
The research approach will consider applying established frameworks and standards such as the MITRE ATT&CK Framework and the STIX cyber-security communication protocol. By studying documented cyber-attacks and utilizing these frameworks, the thesis aims to create use-cases for simulation within an agent-based simulation environment.
These simulations will enable assessment of the resilience of SCADA systems against various cyber threats. The results should further be validated by analyzing simulated cyber-attacks and comparing them to real-life incidents and provide actionable insights for enhancing cyber resilience in critical infrastructures.
In summary, the thesis will involve:

1.    Identifying and modeling popular SCADA systems using graph theory.
2.    Exploring vulnerabilities within these systems and evaluating their impact.
3.    Utilizing the MITRE ATT&CK Framework and STIX protocol for cyber-threat analysis and documentation/communication.
4.    Creating use-cases for simulation within an agent-based framework.
5.    Assessing cyber resilience through simulation and validation against real-life incidents.
 

What you bring to the table

• You are a student of a technical or scientific subject, e.g. computer science, mathematics, physics, engineering, electrical engineering.
• You ideally have programming skills, e.g. in C++, and Python.
• You enjoy programming in the context of relevant scientific questions. 
• You are interested in exploring the field of cyber-security and you are motivated to apply them to reality.
   

What you can expect

• Very good supervision by experienced scientists who will support you in your work.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration with colleagues from different fields.
• Very good working atmosphere in a state-of-the-art working environment equipped with the latest technologies and resources.
• Opportunity to participate in groundbreaking research projects.
• Flexible working time models.
   

The weekly working time is 39 hours. We value and promote the diversity of our employees' skills and therefore welcome all applications - regardless of age, gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion, ideology, disability, sexual orientation and identity. Severely disabled persons are given preference in the event of equal suitability. Remuneration according to the general works agreement for employing assistant staff.

With its focus on developing key technologies that are vital for the future and enabling the commercial utilization of this work by business and industry, Fraunhofer plays a central role in the innovation process. As a pioneer and catalyst for groundbreaking developments and scientific excellence, Fraunhofer helps shape society now and in the future. 

Interested? Apply online now. We look forward to getting to know you
 

Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut EMI  

Requisition Number: 73881