Robust by design: Designing ICT infrastructures using Twins

Abstract Robust‐by‐design (RbD) is a design strategy that uses adversary emulation to strengthen the security of an information and communication infrastructure. It relies on two key components: the security twin and the threat actor twins. The security twin is a detailed database that outlines the different parts of the infrastructure, how they are connected, and their vulnerabilities. It also highlights the types of attacks each part could enable. On the other hand, the twin of a threat actor describes its potential attack surface, the attacks it can carry out, its strategy, and its ultimate goal, if any. This information comes from threat intelligence. RbD conducts independent simulations of various threat actors against the security twin to identify all possible attack paths they could exploit. Three types of analysis use this information to improve the robustness and resilience of the infrastructure. The first analysis fills in the gaps in threat intelligence by extending information on threat actors and vulnerabilities. The second analysis focuses on selecting countermeasures aimed at eliminating attack paths or at least reducing their chances of success. Possible countermeasures include patching vulnerabilities, adjusting firewall rules, and implementing network segmentation. Information on attack paths guides the choice and configuration of these countermeasures. Once the infrastructure twin is updated to reflect countermeasure deployment, RbD performs further simulations to uncover any new attack paths that could be exploited and to identify additional countermeasures. The final analysis seeks to address the risks associated with any remaining unaddressed attack paths.