IIT-M creates algorithm to guard networks like air traffic control from attacks
IIT Madras, IoT study: The strategy proposed is an algorithm that builds spare capacity in a given network - like the spare wheel present in a car that can be changed in case of a flat tire.
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Madras have developed an algorithm to mitigate disruptions to critical networks like air traffic control and power distribution during a terror attack. The research - peer-reviewed and published in international journal 'Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications'. Experts have noted that with IoT, or Internet of Things - devices that exchange data with other devices over the internet - becoming popular, it is critical to protect networks vital to national security.
"The terror attacks of September 11, 2001... targeting a single country resulted in the entire airline industry coming to a standstill. Such threats are a reminder that in today’s highly interconnected world, there is high risk of one adverse event leading to the disruption of the entire network."
"Air and road traffic, power distribution and even social media platforms are all examples of highly connected networks and are, therefore, highly vulnerable to targeted attacks," Karthik Raman, a core member of IIT-M's Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, said.
"A variety of technological networks form the backbone of modern world infrastructure, and it is essential to build safeguards to protect these against both failures and targeted attacks."
The strategy proposed is an algorithm that builds spare capacity in a given network. This means if one node (name given to an entity linked to others) is attacked, traffic of the affected node is routed through this spare capacity and the network can keep functioning.
This has been tested on two infrastructure networks - air traffic and power distribution.
"It was found that the algorithm increased the robustness of these networks to targeted attacks," Sai Saranga Das, a student and the lead author of the study, was quoted by PTI.
"The algorithm was also highly effective in increasing the robustness of ‘canonical scale-free networks,’ which are representative of many real-world networks when compared to existing strategies to mitigate targeted attacks on these networks," he added.
With input from PTI
