Journal Published Online: 12 May 2022
Volume 6, Issue 1

Analyzing Security Risks in Cyber-Physical Manufacturing Systems with Actor–Network Theory

CODEN: SSMSCY

Abstract

This article suggests that actor–network theory (ANT) can reveal unique challenges and consequences of cyberattacks in manufacturing. As an approach, ANT rejects the dualism that often separates humans and nonhumans, recognizing the active role of both in affecting events. Our approach adds an important new perspective to an existing body of research that focuses on analyzing vulnerabilities in cyberspace instead of their ramifications in the material world. Drawing on the case study of a faulty airbag inflator in an automobile, we use concepts and vocabularies drawn from ANT to discuss the consequences of attacks in manufacturing, such as viewing altered products as actants with agency to alter subsequent networks (e.g., when a manufactured part is integrated into an automotive vehicle). By tracing the movement of specific materials and products through networks it is possible to elucidate how cyberattacks not only impact cyber-physical systems themselves, but also reverberate into a multitude of broader impacts, potentially endangering physical safety, shaping public opinion, and influencing economic markets. Our examination of one particular context draws on existing work that has brought ANT and cybersecurity in dialogue, but we extend this work by focusing on the role of “translation” and “depunctualization” across the lifecycle of a cyberattack in manufacturing. This analysis stresses the need for sector-specific examinations of cyberthreats, while also demonstrating the value of interdisciplinary methods like ANT that do not reify artificial dualisms in addressing for conceptualizing security risks in cyber-physical manufacturing systems.

Author Information

Sreeramagiri, Praveen
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA
Andrews, Gillian
Department of English, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA
Greene, Amanda K.
Andrew W. Mellon Humanities Lab, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA
Balasubramanian, Ganesh
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA
Pages: 12
Price: Free
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Details
Stock #: SSMS20210042
ISSN: 2520-6478
DOI: 10.1520/SSMS20210042