Vulnerability Assessment of Industrial Control System with an Improved CVSS

Abstract: Cyberattacks on industrial control systems (ICS) have been drawing attention in academia. However, this has not raised adequate concerns among some industrial practitioners. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the vulnerable locations and components in the ICS and investigate the attack scenarios and techniques. This study proposes a method to assess the risk of cyberattacks on ICS with an improved Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) and applies it to a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) model. The results show the physical system levels of ICS have the highest severity once cyberattacked, and controllers, workstations, and human-machine interface are the crucial components in the cyberattack and defense.