An Introduction to Cyber Modeling and Simulation

8Cyber Model‐Based Evaluation Background

Evaluating cyber systems is usually a trade between the realism of a live experiment and the speed provided by a representative model‐based simulation; broadly described in terms of scale, scope, and fidelity. Characterizing these cyber systems, to achieve fidelity and validity through physical models of the system of interest, is challenged by limitations in the flexibility and scalability of a physical model. Abstracting on these physical systems, usually in software (Guruprasad et al. 2005), results in a flexible environment to construct computer networks (Rimondini 2007).

Emulation, due to fidelity and known validity, is often how operational network testing is currently practiced. Simulation, using a constructive representation of the system, has scalability and flexibility benefits. In deciding the merits of emulation vs. simulation for a particular evaluation, the system evaluator should consider the fidelity, scalability, and flexibility (i.e. scope) tradeoffs required for the test object’s modeling scenarios (Table 8.1).

Table 8.1 System attributes – flexibility, scalability, and fidelity.

Attribute	Description
Flexibility (i.e. scope)	Ability to reconfigure environment – this might be evaluating the model of interest for another use case and associated validity evaluation.
Scalability	Scalability has to do with altering the size of the network of interest. While “scalability” is a factor for virtualizing cyber‐range ...