We investigate the problem of deceiving a malicious agent employing an identification method to estimate the closed-loop dynamics of a cyber-physical system. In particular, we propose a moving target defense mechanism that utilizes stochastic switching between linear closed-loop dynamics to drive a linear system identification process of a potential adversary to sub-optimal solutions with non-vanishing error. We provide a statistical analysis of the induced identification error and show that it is not possible for any linear system identification method to reconstruct the average dynamics of a stochastic switched linear system. Finally, we utilize the theory of Markov jump linear systems to guarantee asymptotic stability of the switching system, and formulate the switching control problem as an optimization problem that guarantees stability while taking into account the trade-off between security and switching effort. Simulation results showcase the efficacy of the proposed approach in inducing identification error for the adversary using minimal switching.
Part of ISBN 9798350316339
QC 20250331