The System That Cried Wolf

• DOI: 10.1145/3393926
• Publication Date: 2020-06-12T10:29:57Z
• Authors: Hocheol Shin; Juhwan Noh; Dohyun Kim; Yongdae Kim
• Keywords: Fire Detection

Fire alarm and signaling systems are a networked system of fire detectors, control units, automated extinguishers, notification appliances. Malfunction these safety-critical cyber-physical may lead to chaotic evacuations, property damage, even loss human life. Therefore, reliability is one the most crucial factors for detectors. Indeed, single report cannot be ignored, considering importance early detection suppression. In this article, we show that wide-area smoke which globally installed in critical infrastructures such as airports, sports facilities, auditoriums, have significant vulnerabilities terms reliability; can remotely stealthily induce false alarms suppress real with minimal attacker capability using simple equipment. The practicality generalizability has been assessed based on demonstration two types sensor attacks commercial off-the-shelf optical beam detectors from different manufacturers. Further, practical considerations building stealthy attack equipment analyzed, an extensive survey almost all market conducted. addition, current standards network connecting detector unit exacerbate problem, making it impossible or very difficult mitigate threats found. Finally, discuss hardware- software-based possible countermeasures both network; effectiveness experimentally evaluated.