# A Virtual Cybersecurity Department for Securing Digital Twins in Water Distribution Systems

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.20266 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.20266/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 2 of its 16 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 28 Apr 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [A Review of Digital Twins and their Application in Cybersecurity based on Artificial Intelligence](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.01154/) (2023)
- [Digital Transformation in the Water Distribution System based on the Digital Twins Concept](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.06694/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Digital twins (DTs) help improve real-time monitoring and decision-making in water distribution systems. However, their connectivity makes them easy targets for cyberattacks such as scanning, denial-of-service (DoS), and unauthorized access. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that manage these systems often do not have enough budget or staff to build strong cybersecurity teams. To solve this problem, we present a Virtual Cybersecurity Department (VCD), an affordable and automated framework designed for SMEs. The VCD uses open-source tools like Zabbix for real-time monitoring, Suricata for network intrusion detection, Fail2Ban to block repeated login attempts, and simple firewall settings. To improve threat detection, we also add a machine-learning-based IDS trained on the OD-IDS2022 dataset using an improved ensemble model. This model detects cyber threats such as brute-force attacks, remote code execution (RCE), and network flooding, with 92% accuracy and fewer false alarms. Our solution gives SMEs a practical and efficient way to secure water systems using low-cost and easy-to-manage tools.