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We study the problem of maximizing privacy of data sets by adding random vectors generated via synchronized chaotic oscillators. In particular, we consider the setup where information about data sets, queries, is sent through public (unsecured) communication channels to a remote station. To hide private features (specific entries) within the data set, we corrupt the response to queries by adding random vectors. We send the distorted query (the sum of the requested query and the random vector) through the public channel. The distribution of the additive random vector is designed to minimize the mutual information (our privacy metric) between private entries of the data set and the distorted query. We cast the synthesis of this distribution as a convex program in the probabilities of the additive random vector. Once we have the optimal distribution, we propose an algorithm to generate pseudo-random realizations from this distribution using trajectories of a chaotic oscillator. At the other end of the channel, we have a second chaotic oscillator, which we use to generate realizations from the same distribution. Note that if we obtain the same realizations on both sides of the channel, we can simply subtract the realization from the distorted query to recover the requested query. To generate equal realizations, we need the two chaotic oscillators to be synchronized, i.e., we need them to generate exactly the same trajectories on both sides of the channel synchronously in time. We force the two chaotic oscillators into exponential synchronization using a driving signal. Simulations are presented to illustrate our results., Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1809.03133 by other authors

We incorporate future information in the form of the estimated value of future gradients in online convex optimization. This is motivated by demand response in power systems, where forecasts about the current round, e.g., the weather or the loads' behavior, can be used to improve on predictions made with only past observations. Specifically, we introduce an additional predictive step that follows the standard online convex optimization step when certain conditions on the estimated gradient and descent direction are met. We show that under these conditions and without any assumptions on the predictability of the environment, the predictive update strictly improves on the performance of the standard update. We give two types of predictive update for various family of loss functions. We provide a regret bound for each of our predictive online convex optimization algorithms. Finally, we apply our framework to an example based on demand response which demonstrates its superior performance to a standard online convex optimization algorithm.

This paper is about an encryption based approach to the secure implementation of feedback controllers for physical systems. Specifically, Paillier's homomorphic encryption is used to digitally implement a class of linear dynamic controllers, which includes the commonplace static gain and PID type feedback control laws as special cases. The developed implementation is amenable to Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) realization. Experimental results, including timing analysis and resource usage characteristics for different encryption key lengths, are presented for the realization of an inverted pendulum controller; as this is an unstable plant, the control is necessarily fast.

We present an encrypted model predictive control (MPC) scheme for linear constrained systems. More precisely, we show that homomorphic encryption can be used to realize a secure and private cloud-based evaluation of an MPC if the corresponding piecewise affine control law is explicitly given.

QC 20221003

This paper analyses the performance of projected gradient descent on optimisation problems with cost functions and constraints that vary in discrete time. Specifically, strongly convex cost functions with Lipschitz gradient, and a sequence of convex constraints are assumed. Error bounds and suboptimality bounds are derived for a variety of cases, which show convergence to a steady-state. Conditions on the constraint sequence are also presented for guaranteeing finite-time feasibility, and for bounding the distance between successive minimisers. Numerical examples are then presented to validate the analytical results., QC 20220922Part of proceedings: ISBN 978-1-5386-1395-5

This paper presents a secure and private implementation of linear time-invariant dynamic controllers using Paillier's encryption, a semi-homomorphic encryption method. To avoid overflow or underflow within the encryption domain, the state of the controller is reset periodically. A control design approach is presented to ensure stability and optimize performance of the closed-loop system with encrypted controller., Comment: Improved numerical example

The paper considers a problem of detecting and mitigating biasing attacks on networks of state observers targeting cooperative state estimation algorithms. The problem is cast within the recently developed framework of distributed estimation utilizing the vector dissipativity approach. The paper shows that a network of distributed observers can be endowed with an additional attack detection layer capable of detecting biasing attacks and correcting their effect on estimates produced by the network. An example is provided to illustrate the performance of the proposed distributed attack detector., Comment: Accepted for publication in Automatica

We study the problem of maximizing privacy of quantized sensor measurements by adding random variables. In particular, we consider the setting where information about the state of a process is obtained using noisy sensor measurements. This information is quantized and sent to a remote station through an unsecured communication network. It is desired to keep the state of the process private; however, because the network is not secure, adversaries might have access to sensor information, which could be used to estimate the process state. To avoid an accurate state estimation, we add random numbers to the quantized sensor measurements and send the sum to the remote station instead. The distribution of these random variables is designed to minimize the mutual information between the sum and the quantized sensor measurements for a desired level of distortion -- how different the sum and the quantized sensor measurements are allowed to be. Simulations are presented to illustrate our results.

As more attention is paid to security in the context of control systems and as attacks occur to real control systems throughout the world, it has become clear that some of the most nefarious attacks are those that evade detection. The term stealthy has come to encompass a variety of techniques that attackers can employ to avoid being detected. In this manuscript, for a class of perturbed linear time-invariant systems, we propose two security metrics to quantify the potential impact that stealthy attacks could have on the system dynamics by tampering with sensor measurements. We provide analysis mathematical tools (in terms of linear matrix inequalities) to quantify these metrics for given system dynamics, control structure, system monitor, and set of sensors being attacked. Then, we provide synthesis tools (in terms of semidefinite programs) to redesign controllers and monitors such that the impact of stealthy attacks is minimized and the required attack-free system performance is guaranteed.

This paper considers the problem of localising a signal source using a team of mobile agents that can only detect the presence or absence of the signal. A background false detection rate and missed detection probability are incorporated into the assumptions. An estimation algorithm is proposed that discretizes the search environment into cells, and uses Bayesian techniques to approximate the posterior probability of each cell containing the source. Analytical results are presented for a range of specific cases, and simulations are used to investigate more complex scenarios., QC 20220930Part of proceedings: ISBN 978-1-5090-2873-3

Adding input and output noises for increasing model identification error of finite impulse response (FIR) systems is considered. This is motivated by the desire to protect the model of the system as a trade secret by rendering model identification techniques ineffective. Optimal filters for constructing additive noises that maximizes the identification error subject to maintaining the closed-loop performance degradation below a limit are constructed. Furthermore, differential privacy is used for designing output noises that preserve the privacy of the model.

© 2015 IEEE. This paper presents optimal parameter selection and preconditioning of the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) algorithm for a class of distributed quadratic problems, which can be formulated as equality-constrained quadratic programming problems. The parameter selection focuses on the ADMM step-size and relaxation parameter, while the preconditioning corresponds to selecting the edge weights of the underlying communication graph. We optimize these parameters to yield the smallest convergence factor of the iterates. Explicit expressions are derived for the step-size and relaxation parameter, as well as for the corresponding convergence factor. Numerical simulations justify our results and highlight the benefits of optimal parameter selection and preconditioning for the ADMM algorithm.

This paper applies Posterior Cramer-Rao Bound theory to the SLAM problem to measure the information supplied by different sensor modalities over time. Range-only, bearing-only and full range-bearing sensors were considered, as well as the gain in information achieved by using multiple sensors in centralized co-operative SLAM. An efficient recursive formula was used to compute the bound for a set of simulated scenarios, and its validity verified by comparing the bound with the second-order error performance of Fast SLAM 2.0 and the EKF., QC 20220922Part of proceedings: ISBN

The paper addresses the problem of detecting attacks on distributed estimator networks that aim to intentionally bias process estimates produced by the network. It provides a sufficient condition, in terms of the feasibility of certain linear matrix inequalities, which guarantees distributed input attack detection using an $H_\infty$ approach., Comment: The paper is to appear in Proceedings of the 55th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, Las Vegas, December 2016

A measure of privacy infringement for agents (or participants) travelling across a transportation network in participatory-sensing schemes for traffic estimation is introduced. The measure is defined to be the conditional probability that an external observer assigns to the private nodes in the transportation network, e.g., location of home or office, given all the position measurements that it broadcasts over time. An algorithm for finding an optimal trade-off between the measure of privacy infringement and the expected estimation error, captured by the number of the nodes over which the participant stops broadcasting its position, is proposed. The algorithm searches over a family of policies in which an agent stops transmitting its position measurements if its distance (in terms of the number of hops) to the privacy sensitive node is smaller than a prescribed threshold. Employing such symmetric policies are advantageous in terms of the resources required for implementation and the ease of computation. The results are expanded to more general policies. Further, the effect of the heterogeneity of the population density on the optimal policy is explored. Finally, the relationship between the betweenness measure of centrality and the optimal privacy-preserving policy of the agents is numerically explored.