Modelling Cascading Failure in Complex CPSS to Inform Resilient Mission Assurance: An Intelligent Transport System Case Study

Intelligent transport systems are revolutionising all aspects of modern life, increasing the efficiency of commerce, modern living, and international travel. Intelligent transport systems are systems of systems comprised of cyber, physical, and social nodes. They represent unique opportunities but also have potential threats to system operation and correctness. The emergent behaviour in Complex Cyber–Physical–Social Systems (C-CPSSs), caused by events such as cyber-attacks and network outages, have the potential to have devastating effects to critical services across society. It is therefore imperative that the risk of cascading failure is minimised through the fortifying of these systems of systems to achieve resilient mission assurance. This work designs and implements a programmatic model to validate the value of cascading failure simulation and analysis, which is then tested against a C-CPSS intelligent transport system scenario. Results from the model and its implementations highlight the value in identifying both critical nodes and percolation of consequences during a cyber failure, in addition to the importance of including social nodes in models for accurate simulation results. Understanding the relationships between cyber, physical, and social nodes is key to understanding systems’ failures that occur because of or that involve cyber systems, in order to achieve cyber and system resilience.