Cyber-Physical Systems: Issues, Design and Opportunities

Abstract: Cyber-physical systems (CPS), including smart grids and intelligent transportation systems, are complex systems in which tightly integrated software and hardware components work together to accomplish well-defined tasks. While such integration enables high performance and efficiency, it also significantly increases system vulnerability by creating more opportunities for cyber-attacks, which may lead to serious economic, societal, and human consequences. Consequently, cybersecurity has emerged as a critical challenge in the design and operation of CPS.
This talk examines CPS security from an attacker’s perspective. It begins with an overview of CPS fundamentals, key security issues, and representative research on cyber-attacks. The talk then presents our recent work on the design of stealthy hybrid attacks on CPS, demonstrating how coordinated cyber-attacks can be executed to maximize system performance degradation while reducing the likelihood of detection. By exposing these attack mechanisms, the work underscores the need for more effective, efficient, and resilient defense strategies capable of detecting intrusions and ensuring that CPS operate in a secure, reliable, and desired manner.

Peng Shi is a Distinguished Professor, Leader in Systems and Control, and Director of both the Laboratory of Advanced Unmanned Systems and the Laboratory of Cyber-Physics-Human Systems at Adelaide University, Australia.
His research interests span systems and control theory, with applications to autonomous and robotic systems, intelligent systems, network systems, and cyber-physical systems. His work has been globally recognized with numerous prestigious distinctions. These include the IEEE Lotfi Zadeh Award for Emerging Technologies (2027); the IEEE Lotfi Zadeh Pioneer Award and IEEE Norbert Wiener Award (SMCS, 2025 and 2024); the Annual Scientific Award and the Ramesh Agarwal Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Engineering and Technology Institute (IETI, 2024 and 2023); and the M. A. Sargent Medal (Engineers Australia, 2022).
Additionally, he has been named a Highly Cited Researcher in both engineering and computer science (Web of Science, 2014–2025) and recognized as the Most Cited Researcher in Electrical and Electronic Engineering (Times Higher Education, 2018). He has also earned a place on the Lifetime Achiever Leaderboard and as a Field Leader (The Australian Research Review, 2019–2024). His institutional accolades include the Stephen Cole the Elder Award for Excellence in Research Supervision and the Outstanding Research Achievement Award from the University of Adelaide (2025 and 2020), as well as the Chancellor’s Gold Medal for Outstanding Research Performance from Victoria University (2018).
Professor Shi's extensive professional service includes roles as a member of the Fellow Evaluation Committee, Nomination Committee, Award Committee, Board of Governors, Vice President, and Distinguished Lecturer for the IEEE SMC Society, and International Conferences. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, and an International Fellow of the Engineering Academy of Japan, the Academy of Europe, the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, and the Academy of Romanian Scientists. He is also a Fellow of the IEEE, IET, IEAust, CAA and IETI. Currently, he serves as the Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics, a Senior Editor of IEEE Access, and an Associate Editor for Automatica and IEEE Transactions on Artificial Intelligence.