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Lo, Carol, Win, Thu Yein, Rezaeifar, Zeinab, Khan, Zaheer and Legg, Phil (2026) LOTL-Hunter: Detecting Multi-Stage Living-off-the-Land Attacks in Cyber-Physical Systems using Decision Fusion Techniques with Digital Twins. Future Generation Computer Systems, 51. p. 108382. ISSN 0167739X

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Abstract

Abstract

The integration of smart sensors and actuators in industrial environments has expanded the cyber-physical attack surface, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish anomalies caused by cyberattacks from those due to mechanical or electrical faults. This challenge is exacerbated by stealthy, multi-stage attacks leveraging Living off the Land (LOTL) techniques, which often evade conventional anomaly detection or intrusion detection systems (IDS).
This study presents a Digital Twin-based testbed for safe, repeatable simulation of multi-stage cyber-physical attacks targeting Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) and Industrial Control Systems (ICS). We propose a two-level decision fusion method that aggregates and aligns anomalies across network, process, and host domains in synchronized 1-minute intervals. The first-level fusion improves OT-layer detection by applying confidence-aware decision logic to outputs combined from (a) a supervised deep learning model (LSTM-FCN) for process anomalies, (b) an unsupervised model (Isolation Forest) for OPC UA network anomalies, and (c) process alarm signals. The second-level fusion integrates these results with host-based anomalies, computed through point-based scoring of Wazuh alerts, to provide comprehensive IT/OT situational awareness. Experimental results demonstrate improved detection of stealthy, multi-stage APT attack behaviours. Additionally, Large Language Models (LLM) provide summarization of the integrated IT/OT anomaly logs into human-readable insights, enhancing interpretability and supporting cyber threat hunting.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: ** Article version: AM ** From Elsevier via Jisc Publications Router ** History: issued 20-01-2026. ** Licence for AM version of this article starting on 19-01-2026: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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URI: https://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/19869

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Additional Information
** Article version: AM ** From Elsevier via Jisc Publications Router ** History: issued 20-01-2026. ** Licence for AM version of this article starting on 19-01-2026: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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Item ID
19869
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ISSN
0167739X

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ORCID for Carol Lo
ORCID for Thu Yein Win

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Date Deposited
18 Feb 2026 11:49
Last Modified
18 Feb 2026 11:49

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Author
Zeinab Rezaeifar
Author
Zaheer Khan
Author
Phil Legg

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