Ontology-driven Threat Modeling Analysis of CPSs

ICS is defined as a subset of CPSs, required realtime responsiveness, availability, reliability, and distributed intelligence to function effectively. However, complexity and openness of CPSs infrastructure expose them to significant cybersecurity challenges, making security a critical concern in safeguarding operations. Threat modeling, used to identify potential threats to a system, remains largely a manual process that requires skilled personnel and is often prone to human error. These challenges are expanded by increasing complexity of CPSs infrastructure and the evolving nature of cyber threats. Developing automated solutions is essential to manage information, respond promptly to threats and changes, and minimize human errors. This paper presents an automated ontology-based threat modeling approach tailored for CPSs, addressing the need for threat assessment by leveraging an ontology-driven framework to map threats to CPSs components using structured vocabulary. The proposed solution provides a scalable and automated method to improve the security and resilience of CPSs.