Protection of Complex Infrastructure Systems against Intentional Electromagnetic Interference

QC 20231025

Abstract

In this thesis the effects of, and defense against, antagonistic attacks using Intentional Electromagnetic Interference (IEMI) are treated; especially when targeting infrastructure critical to society (CI).IEMI as a means to disturb or destroy electronic equipment draws its roots from military methods to interrupt or interfere with enemy activities. Especially since the end of the cold war these methods have been adopted by various criminal groups and have been utilized on several occasions. How often and the severity of the outcome is difficult to know since it is difficult to understand whether it is IEMI or something else that causes disturbances in computers, networks, sensors, and other types of electronic equipment. Contributing to this is the fact that IEMI does notl eave any viable forensic evidence when used. This, together with low interest in reporting security flaws publicly suggests that the number of incidents is underreported. Although not a large-scale problem, it could be devastating for the trust in the society’s ability to defend itself and its citizens. As IEMI as an antagonistic method has the capacity to interrupt the function of CIs, the need for protective measures has been raised by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB). Few reported cases, together with the antagonistic nature of the threat, render probabilistic risk analysis inadequate for the defense of infrastructures critical to society. Instead, a shift towards resilience engineering and vulnerability analysis is suggested to manage these antagonistic threats. As part of building protection improvement, the shielding efficiency of different generations of windows and panes has been measured and analyzed.

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