scholarly journals Resilience Assessment of Water Quality Sensor Designs under Cyber-Physical Attacks

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 647
Author(s):  
Dionysios Nikolopoulos ◽  
Avi Ostfeld ◽  
Elad Salomons ◽  
Christos Makropoulos
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Monitoring System ◽  
Vulnerability Assessment ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
Distribution Networks ◽  
Cyber Attacks ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
Sensor Placement Optimization

Water distribution networks (WDNs) are critical infrastructure for the welfare of society. Due to their spatial extent and difficulties in deployment of security measures, they are vulnerable to threat scenarios that include the rising concern of cyber-physical attacks. To protect WDNs against different kinds of water contamination, it is customary to deploy water quality (WQ) monitoring sensors. Cyber-attacks on the monitoring system that employs WQ sensors combined with deliberate contamination events via backflow attacks can lead to severe disruptions to water delivery or even potentially fatal consequences for consumers. As such, the water sector is in immediate need of tools and methodologies that can support cyber-physical quality attack simulation and vulnerability assessment of the WQ monitoring system under such attacks. In this study we demonstrate a novel methodology to assess the resilience of placement schemes generated with the Threat Ensemble Vulnerability Assessment and Sensor Placement Optimization Tool (TEVA-SPOT) and evaluated under cyber-physical attacks simulated using the stress-testing platform RISKNOUGHT, using multidimensional metrics and resilience profile graphs. The results of this study show that some sensor designs are inherently more resilient than others, and this trait can be exploited in risk management practices.

scholarly journals Framework for water quality monitoring system in water distribution networks based on vulnerability and population sensitivity risks

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 811-824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amin Abo-Monasar ◽  
Muhammad Al-Zahrani
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Monitoring System ◽  
Water Demand ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Water Quality Monitoring ◽  
Distribution Networks ◽  
Water Distribution Networks ◽  
Quality Monitoring ◽  
Demand Distribution ◽  
Main Challenge

Delivering water in sufficient quantity and acceptable quality is the main objective of water distribution networks (WDN) and at the same time is the main challenge. Many factors affect the delivery of water through distribution networks. Some of these factors are relevant to water quality, quantity and the condition of the infrastructure itself. The deterioration of water quality in the WDN leads to failure at the water quality level, which can be critical because it is closest to the point of delivery and there are virtually no safety barriers before consumption. Accordingly, developing a powerful monitoring system that takes into consideration water demand distribution, the vulnerability of the distribution system and the sensitivity of the population to the deterioration of water quality can be very beneficial and, more importantly, could save lives if there was any deterioration of water quality due to operational failure or cross-contamination events. In this paper, a framework for a water quality monitoring system that considers water demand distribution, the vulnerability of the system and the sensitivity of the population using fuzzy synthetic evaluation and optimization algorithms is developed. The proposed approach has been applied to develop a monitoring system for a real WDN in Saudi Arabia.

An evaluation of security measures implemented to address physical threats to water infrastructure in the state of Mississippi

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 49
Author(s):  
Jason R. Barrett, PhD Candidate ◽  
P. Edward French, PhD
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Distribution Systems ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
The United States ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Cyber Attacks ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
Water Supply Systems ◽  
Security Measures

The events of September 11, 2001, increased and intensified domestic preparedness efforts in the United States against terrorism and other threats. The heightened focus on protecting this nation’s critical infrastructure included legislation requiring implementation of extensive new security measures to better defend water supply systems against physical, chemical/ biological, and cyber attacks. In response, municipal officials have implemented numerous safeguards to reduce the vulnerability of these systems to purposeful intrusions including ongoing vulnerability assessments, extensive personnel training, and highly detailed emergency response and communication plans. This study evaluates fiscal year 2010 annual compliance assessments of public water systems with security measures that were implemented by Mississippi’s Department of Health as a response to federal requirements to address these potential terrorist threats to water distribution systems. The results show that 20 percent of the water systems in this state had at least one security violation on their 2010 Capacity Development Assessment, and continued perseverance from local governments is needed to enhance the resiliency and robustness of these systems against physical threats.

scholarly journals Optimal Water Quality Sensor Placement by Accounting for Possible Contamination Events in Water Distribution Networks

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 1999
Author(s):  
Malvin S. Marlim ◽  
Doosun Kang
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Sensor Placement ◽  
Pso Algorithm ◽  
Distribution Networks ◽  
Fair Value ◽  
Water Distribution Networks ◽  
Optimization Approach ◽  
Protection Measure ◽  
Contamination Events

Contamination in water distribution networks (WDNs) can occur at any time and location. One protection measure in WDNs is the placement of water quality sensors (WQSs) to detect contamination and provide information for locating the potential contamination source. The placement of WQSs in WDNs must be optimally planned. Therefore, a robust sensor-placement strategy (SPS) is vital. The SPS should have clear objectives regarding what needs to be achieved by the sensor configuration. Here, the objectives of the SPS were set to cover the contamination event stages of detection, consumption, and source localization. As contamination events occur in any form of intrusion, at any location and time, the objectives had to be tested against many possible scenarios, and they needed to reach a fair value considering all scenarios. In this study, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm was selected as the optimizer. The SPS was further reinforced using a databasing method to improve its computational efficiency. The performance of the proposed method was examined by comparing it with a benchmark SPS example and applying it to DMA-sized, real WDNs. The proposed optimization approach improved the overall fitness of the configuration by 23.1% and showed a stable placement behavior with the increase in sensors.

Improving water age estimation in a drinking water distribution network by field study and digital modeling

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon Kristian Rakstang ◽  
Michael B. Waak ◽  
Marius M. Rokstad ◽  
Cynthia Hallé
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Network Model ◽  
Age Estimation ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Distribution Network ◽  
Distribution Networks ◽  
Plate Count ◽  
Water Age ◽  
Drinking Water Distribution

<p>Municipal drinking water distribution networks are complex and dynamic systems often spanning many hundreds of kilometers and serving thousands of consumers. Degradation of water quality within a distribution network can be associated to water age (i.e., time elapsed after treatment). Norwegian distribution networks often consist of an intricate combination of pressure zones, in which the transport path(s) between source and consumer is not easily ascertained. Water age is therefore poorly understood in many Norwegian distribution networks. In this study, simulations obtained from a water network model were used to estimate water age in a Norwegian municipal distribution network. A full-scale tracer study using sodium chloride salt was conducted to assess simulation accuracy. Water conductivity provided empirical estimates of salt arrival time at five monitoring stations. These estimates were consistently higher than simulated peak arrival times. Nevertheless, empirical and simulated water age correlated well, indicating that additional network model calibration will improve accuracy. Subsequently, simulated mean water age also correlated strongly with heterotrophic plate count (HPC) monitoring data from the distribution network (Pearson’s R= 0.78, P= 0.00046), indicating biomass accumulation during distribution—perhaps due to bacterial growth or biofilm interactions—and illustrating the importance of water age for water quality. This study demonstrates that Norwegian network models can be calibrated with simple and cost-effective salt tracer studies to improve water age estimates. Improved water age estimation will increase our understanding of water quality dynamics in distribution networks. This can, through digital tools, be used to monitor and control water age, and its impact on biogrowth in the network.</p>

Cyber Threat Ransomware and Marketing to Networked Consumers

2020 ◽  
pp. 155-185
Author(s):  
Usman Javed Butt ◽  
Maysam F. Abbod ◽  
Arvind Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
Computer Systems ◽  
Cyber Attacks ◽  
Competitive Market ◽  
Cyber Attack ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
Global Competitiveness ◽  
Modern Computer ◽  
Water Cleaning ◽  
Cyber Threat

Marketing is a process of creating, capturing, and exchanging ‘value' for the mutual benefits of marketers, customers, intermediaries, and other stakeholders. Such a transaction requires trust as it might be facing a range of online cyber risks. Modern cybercrimes have exponentially grown over the last decade. Ransomware is one of the types of malware which is the result of a sophisticated attempt to compromise the modern computer systems. The businesses, governments, and large corporations are investing heavily to combat this cyber threat against their critical infrastructure. New technological shifts help to improve marketing and business productivity and keep the company's global competitiveness in an overflowing competitive market. However, the businesses and the systems involved need security measures to protect integrity and availability which will help avoid any malfunctioning to their operations due to the cyber-attacks. There have been several cyber-attack incidents on several businesses such as healthcare, pharmaceutical, water cleaning, and energy sector.

scholarly journals Appraisal of water quality indices for service reservoirs in water distribution networks

2020 ◽  
Vol 81 (8) ◽  
pp. 1606-1614 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. Nyirenda ◽  
T. T. Tanyimboh
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Distribution Network ◽  
Water Distribution Network ◽  
Distribution Networks ◽  
Sampling Point ◽  
Quality Indices ◽  
Water Quality Indices ◽  
State Of Water ◽  
Pollution Loads

Abstract The use of water quality indices to aggregate pollution loads in rivers has been widely studied, with researchers using various sub-indices and aggregation methods. These have been used to combine various quality variables at a sampling point in a river into an overall water quality index to compare the state of water quality in different river reaches. Service reservoirs in a water distribution network, like rivers, have complex mixing mechanisms, are subjected to various water quality variables and are variably sized and sited. Water quality indices and the relevant sub-indices are formulated here and applied to service reservoirs within a water distribution network. This is in an attempt to compare holistically the performance of service reservoirs in solutions of optimisation algorithms with regards to water quality.

Topological Robustness and Vulnerability Assessment of Water Distribution Networks

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (12) ◽  
pp. 4007-4021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agathoklis Agathokleous ◽  
Chrystalleni Christodoulou ◽  
Symeon E. Christodoulou
Keyword(s):  
Vulnerability Assessment ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Distribution Networks ◽  
Water Distribution Networks ◽  
Topological Robustness
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