# Enhancing Cybersecurity Through Comprehensive Investigation of Data Flow-Based Attack Scenarios
## 3 Proposed Approach
### Methodology
#### 3.2.3 Impact Enumeration
#### 3.2.6 Attack Impact Analysis

While the core contributions of the proposed approach focus on the impact list, attack profiles, and attack scenario API, we also recognize the importance of analyzing the potential impacts and consequences of the identified attack scenarios. This involves evaluating the severity, likelihood, and potential impact of the attack scenarios generated by our approach. This analysis provides valuable insights into the most critical vulnerabilities and risks within a cyber-physical system. By conducting an in-depth attack impact analysis, our proposed approach enables system designers and security professionals to gain a comprehensive understanding of the potential risks and threats facing cyber-physical systems. This includes evaluating the potential consequences and damage that could result from successful execution of each attack scenario, considering factors such as the impact on system availability, data integrity, and safety. In addition, we assess the probability of each attack scenario's occurrence based on factors such as the complexity of the attack, the attacker's required capabilities, and the existing security controls. By combining the severity and likelihood assessments, it is possible to prioritize the identified attack scenarios based on their overall risk level, allowing mitigation efforts to focus on the most critical vulnerabilities. This risk prioritization process represents a crucial step in translating the generated attack profiles and scenarios into actionable security improvements for the target cyber-physical system. We believe that this analysis, while not a direct contribution of the proposed approach, is a crucial step in enhancing the overall resilience and robustness of systems against identified attack scenarios by informing the development and implementation of proactive security measures. While our proposed approach provides a comprehensive and systematic approach to enumerating and analyzing potential threats in cyber-physical systems, it is important to consider how this approach can be applied in real-world settings. One key aspect is the integration of the approach with existing CPS architectures and security processes. The proposed approach depends on the presence of detailed system models and data flow diagrams, which may not always be readily accessible or easily obtainable in operational environments. In our future work, we aim to address this challenge by automating the process instead of relying on manual methods. We also plan to provide guidance on how to incorporate the attack scenario analysis into the overall CPS security lifecycle, including during the design, deployment, and operational phases. This could involve integrating the proposed approach into existing risk assessment methodologies, incident response procedures, and security monitoring tools used in CPS environments. To provide more tangible value and guidance for securing cyber-physical systems in real-world settings, the proposed approach should be validated and tested using more complex real-world CPS use cases and data to ensure its effectiveness and relevance in addressing the unique security challenges faced by these systems. This could involve collaborating with industry partners, critical infrastructure operators, and domain experts to gather relevant data and evaluate the approach's performance in realistic scenarios. ## 4 Case Study: A Remote Control System for Automated Guided Vehicles

In this section, we validate our proposed approach in the context of a research project [15]. The case study involves the use of several automated guided vehicles (AGVs) called Hxs. These Hxs are used to transport materials from a quarry site. A wheel loader and an excavator are used to load the materials onto the Hx, complementing the fleet of autonomous Hxs. The Fleet Control System manages the active Hx fleet, providing features such as traffic management and job assignment for each device.