Railway cyber-security in the era of interconnected systems: a survey

Technological advances in the telecommunications industry have brought significant advantages in the management and performance of communication networks. The railway industry, where signaling systems are now fully computerized, is among the ones that have benefited the most. These interconnected systems, however, have a wide area exposed to cyberattacks. This survey examines the cybersecurity aspects of railway signaling systems by considering the standards, guidelines, and frameworks most widely used in the industry. We dedicate specific attention to communication networks since data communication systems are essential to signaling architectures. To this end, we explore using dedicated cyber ranges as an enabling technology to model attacks to computer networks, emulate attack-defense scenarios, study vulnerabilities impact in general, and finally devise countermeasures to them.