Identification of vulnerabilities in networked systems

Abstract

In last decades, thanks to the large diffusion of Information and communications technologies, the cooperation of distributed systems has been facilitated with the aim to provide new services. One of the common aspect of this kind of systems is the presence of a network able to ensure the connectivity among the elements of the network. The connectivity is a fundamental prerequisite also in the context of critical infrastructures (CIs), which are defined as a specific kind of infrastructures able to provide the essential services that underpin the society and serve as the backbone of our nation’s economy, security, and health (i.e. transportation systems, gas and water distribution systems, financial services, etc). Due to their relevance, the identification of vulnerabilities in this kind of systems is a mandatory task in order to design adequate and effective defense strategies. To this end, in this chapter some of the most common methods for networks vulnerabilities identification are illustrated and compared in order to stress common aspects and differences.