Anomaly Detection of Controllable Electric Vehicles through Node Equation against Aggregation Attack

The rapid proliferation of electric vehicle(EV)charging infrastructure introduces critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities to power grids system.This study presents an innovative anomaly detection framework for EV charging stations,addressing the unique challenges posed by third-party aggregation platforms.Our approach integrates node equations-based on the parameter identification with a novel deep learning model,xDeepCIN,to detect abnormal data reporting indicative of aggregation attacks.We employ a graph-theoretic approach to model EV charging networks and utilize Markov Chain Monte Carlo techniques for accurate parameter estimation.The xDeepCIN model,incorporating a Compressed Interaction Network,has the ability to capture complex feature interactions in sparse,high-dimensional charging data.Experimental results on both proprietary and public datasets demonstrate significant improvements in anomaly detection performance,with F1-scores increasing by up to 32.3%for specific anomaly types compared to traditional methods,such as wide&deep and DeepFM(Factorization-Machine).Our framework exhibits robust scalability,effectively handling networks ranging from 8 to 85 charging points.Furthermore,we achieve real-time monitoring capabilities,with parameter identification completing within seconds for networks up to 1000 nodes.This research contributes to enhancing the security and reliability of renewable energy systems against evolving cyber threats,offering a comprehensive solution for safeguarding the rapidly expanding EV charging infrastructure.

CSRWA:Covert and Severe Attacks Resistant Watermarking Algorithm

Watermarking is embedding visible or invisible data within media to verify its authenticity or protect copyright.The watermark is embedded in significant spatial or frequency features of the media to make it more resistant to intentional or unintentional modification.Some of these features are important perceptual features according to the human visual system(HVS),which means that the embedded watermark should be imperceptible in these features.Therefore,both the designers of watermarking algorithms and potential attackers must consider these perceptual features when carrying out their actions.The two roles will be considered in this paper when designing a robust watermarking algorithm against the most harmful attacks,like volumetric scaling,histogram equalization,and non-conventional watermarking attacks like the Denoising Convolution Neural Network(DnCNN),which must be considered in watermarking algorithm design due to its rising role in the state-of-the-art attacks.The DnCNN is initialized and trained using watermarked image samples created by our proposed Covert and Severe Attacks Resistant Watermarking Algorithm(CSRWA)to prove its robustness.For this algorithm to satisfy the robustness and imperceptibility tradeoff,implementing the Dither Modulation(DM)algorithm is boosted by utilizing the Just Noticeable Distortion(JND)principle to get an improved performance in this sense.Sensitivity,luminance,inter and intra-block contrast are used to adjust the JND values.

Experimental Observing Damage Evolution in Cement Pastes Exposed to External Sulfate Attack by in situ X-ray Computed Tomography

The paper presents experimental investigation results of crack pattern change in cement pastes caused by external sulfate attack(ESA).To visualize the formation and development of cracks in cement pastes under ESA,an X-ray computed tomography(X-ray CT)was used,i e,the tomography system of Zeiss Xradia 510 versa.The results indicate that X-CT can monitor the development process and distribution characteristics of the internal cracks of cement pastes under ESA with attack time.In addition,the C3A content in the cement significantly affects the damage mode of cement paste specimens during sulfate erosion.The damage of ordinary Portland cement(OPC)pastes subjected to sulfate attack with high C3A content are severe,while the damage of sulfate resistant Portland cement(SRPC)pastes is much smaller than that of OPC pastes.Furthermore,a quadratic function describes the correlation between the crack volume fraction and development depth for two cement pastes immermed in sulfate solution.

DDoS Attack Autonomous Detection Model Based on Multi-Strategy Integrate Zebra Optimization Algorithm

Previous studies have shown that deep learning is very effective in detecting known attacks.However,when facing unknown attacks,models such as Deep Neural Networks(DNN)combined with Long Short-Term Memory(LSTM),Convolutional Neural Networks(CNN)combined with LSTM,and so on are built by simple stacking,which has the problems of feature loss,low efficiency,and low accuracy.Therefore,this paper proposes an autonomous detectionmodel for Distributed Denial of Service attacks,Multi-Scale Convolutional Neural Network-Bidirectional Gated Recurrent Units-Single Headed Attention(MSCNN-BiGRU-SHA),which is based on a Multistrategy Integrated Zebra Optimization Algorithm(MI-ZOA).The model undergoes training and testing with the CICDDoS2019 dataset,and its performance is evaluated on a new GINKS2023 dataset.The hyperparameters for Conv_filter and GRU_unit are optimized using the Multi-strategy Integrated Zebra Optimization Algorithm(MIZOA).The experimental results show that the test accuracy of the MSCNN-BiGRU-SHA model based on the MIZOA proposed in this paper is as high as 0.9971 in the CICDDoS 2019 dataset.The evaluation accuracy of the new dataset GINKS2023 created in this paper is 0.9386.Compared to the MSCNN-BiGRU-SHA model based on the Zebra Optimization Algorithm(ZOA),the detection accuracy on the GINKS2023 dataset has improved by 5.81%,precisionhas increasedby 1.35%,the recallhas improvedby 9%,and theF1scorehas increasedby 5.55%.Compared to the MSCNN-BiGRU-SHA models developed using Grid Search,Random Search,and Bayesian Optimization,the MSCNN-BiGRU-SHA model optimized with the MI-ZOA exhibits better performance in terms of accuracy,precision,recall,and F1 score.

XMAM:X-raying models with a matrix to reveal backdoor attacks for federated learning

Federated Learning(FL),a burgeoning technology,has received increasing attention due to its privacy protection capability.However,the base algorithm FedAvg is vulnerable when it suffers from so-called backdoor attacks.Former researchers proposed several robust aggregation methods.Unfortunately,due to the hidden characteristic of backdoor attacks,many of these aggregation methods are unable to defend against backdoor attacks.What's more,the attackers recently have proposed some hiding methods that further improve backdoor attacks'stealthiness,making all the existing robust aggregation methods fail.To tackle the threat of backdoor attacks,we propose a new aggregation method,X-raying Models with A Matrix(XMAM),to reveal the malicious local model updates submitted by the backdoor attackers.Since we observe that the output of the Softmax layer exhibits distinguishable patterns between malicious and benign updates,unlike the existing aggregation algorithms,we focus on the Softmax layer's output in which the backdoor attackers are difficult to hide their malicious behavior.Specifically,like medical X-ray examinations,we investigate the collected local model updates by using a matrix as an input to get their Softmax layer's outputs.Then,we preclude updates whose outputs are abnormal by clustering.Without any training dataset in the server,the extensive evaluations show that our XMAM can effectively distinguish malicious local model updates from benign ones.For instance,when other methods fail to defend against the backdoor attacks at no more than 20%malicious clients,our method can tolerate 45%malicious clients in the black-box mode and about 30%in Projected Gradient Descent(PGD)mode.Besides,under adaptive attacks,the results demonstrate that XMAM can still complete the global model training task even when there are 40%malicious clients.Finally,we analyze our method's screening complexity and compare the real screening time with other methods.The results show that XMAM is about 10–10000 times faster than the existing methods.

Distributed Platooning Control of Automated Vehicles Subject to Replay Attacks Based on Proportional Integral Observers

Secure platooning control plays an important role in enhancing the cooperative driving safety of automated vehicles subject to various security vulnerabilities.This paper focuses on the distributed secure control issue of automated vehicles affected by replay attacks.A proportional-integral-observer(PIO)with predetermined forgetting parameters is first constructed to acquire the dynamical information of vehicles.Then,a time-varying parameter and two positive scalars are employed to describe the temporal behavior of replay attacks.In light of such a scheme and the common properties of Laplace matrices,the closed-loop system with PIO-based controllers is transformed into a switched and time-delayed one.Furthermore,some sufficient conditions are derived to achieve the desired platooning performance by the view of the Lyapunov stability theory.The controller gains are analytically determined by resorting to the solution of certain matrix inequalities only dependent on maximum and minimum eigenvalues of communication topologies.Finally,a simulation example is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.

Anti-Byzantine Attacks Enabled Vehicle Selection for Asynchronous Federated Learning in Vehicular Edge Computing

In vehicle edge computing(VEC),asynchronous federated learning(AFL)is used,where the edge receives a local model and updates the global model,effectively reducing the global aggregation latency.Due to different amounts of local data,computing capabilities and locations of the vehicles,renewing the global model with same weight is inappropriate.The above factors will affect the local calculation time and upload time of the local model,and the vehicle may also be affected by Byzantine attacks,leading to the deterioration of the vehicle data.However,based on deep reinforcement learning(DRL),we can consider these factors comprehensively to eliminate vehicles with poor performance as much as possible and exclude vehicles that have suffered Byzantine attacks before AFL.At the same time,when aggregating AFL,we can focus on those vehicles with better performance to improve the accuracy and safety of the system.In this paper,we proposed a vehicle selection scheme based on DRL in VEC.In this scheme,vehicle’s mobility,channel conditions with temporal variations,computational resources with temporal variations,different data amount,transmission channel status of vehicles as well as Byzantine attacks were taken into account.Simulation results show that the proposed scheme effectively improves the safety and accuracy of the global model.

Evaluating Privacy Leakage and Memorization Attacks on Large Language Models (LLMs) in Generative AI Applications

The recent interest in the deployment of Generative AI applications that use large language models (LLMs) has brought to the forefront significant privacy concerns, notably the leakage of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and other confidential or protected information that may have been memorized during training, specifically during a fine-tuning or customization process. We describe different black-box attacks from potential adversaries and study their impact on the amount and type of information that may be recovered from commonly used and deployed LLMs. Our research investigates the relationship between PII leakage, memorization, and factors such as model size, architecture, and the nature of attacks employed. The study utilizes two broad categories of attacks: PII leakage-focused attacks (auto-completion and extraction attacks) and memorization-focused attacks (various membership inference attacks). The findings from these investigations are quantified using an array of evaluative metrics, providing a detailed understanding of LLM vulnerabilities and the effectiveness of different attacks.

Ensuring Secure Platooning of Constrained Intelligent and Connected Vehicles Against Byzantine Attacks:A Distributed MPC Framework

This study investigates resilient platoon control for constrained intelligent and connected vehicles(ICVs)against F-local Byzantine attacks.We introduce a resilient distributed model-predictive platooning control framework for such ICVs.This framework seamlessly integrates the predesigned optimal control with distributed model predictive control(DMPC)optimization and introduces a unique distributed attack detector to ensure the reliability of the transmitted information among vehicles.Notably,our strategy uses previously broadcasted information and a specialized convex set,termed the“resilience set”,to identify unreliable data.This approach significantly eases graph robustness prerequisites,requiring only an(F+1)-robust graph,in contrast to the established mean sequence reduced algorithms,which require a minimum(2F+1)-robust graph.Additionally,we introduce a verification algorithm to restore trust in vehicles under minor attacks,further reducing communication network robustness.Our analysis demonstrates the recursive feasibility of the DMPC optimization.Furthermore,the proposed method achieves exceptional control performance by minimizing the discrepancies between the DMPC control inputs and predesigned platoon control inputs,while ensuring constraint compliance and cybersecurity.Simulation results verify the effectiveness of our theoretical findings.

A Probabilistic Trust Model and Control Algorithm to Protect 6G Networks against Malicious Data Injection Attacks in Edge Computing Environments

Future 6G communications are envisioned to enable a large catalogue of pioneering applications.These will range from networked Cyber-Physical Systems to edge computing devices,establishing real-time feedback control loops critical for managing Industry 5.0 deployments,digital agriculture systems,and essential infrastructures.The provision of extensive machine-type communications through 6G will render many of these innovative systems autonomous and unsupervised.While full automation will enhance industrial efficiency significantly,it concurrently introduces new cyber risks and vulnerabilities.In particular,unattended systems are highly susceptible to trust issues:malicious nodes and false information can be easily introduced into control loops.Additionally,Denialof-Service attacks can be executed by inundating the network with valueless noise.Current anomaly detection schemes require the entire transformation of the control software to integrate new steps and can only mitigate anomalies that conform to predefined mathematical models.Solutions based on an exhaustive data collection to detect anomalies are precise but extremely slow.Standard models,with their limited understanding of mobile networks,can achieve precision rates no higher than 75%.Therefore,more general and transversal protection mechanisms are needed to detect malicious behaviors transparently.This paper introduces a probabilistic trust model and control algorithm designed to address this gap.The model determines the probability of any node to be trustworthy.Communication channels are pruned for those nodes whose probability is below a given threshold.The trust control algorithmcomprises three primary phases,which feed themodel with three different probabilities,which are weighted and combined.Initially,anomalous nodes are identified using Gaussian mixture models and clustering technologies.Next,traffic patterns are studied using digital Bessel functions and the functional scalar product.Finally,the information coherence and content are analyzed.The noise content and abnormal information sequences are detected using a Volterra filter and a bank of Finite Impulse Response filters.An experimental validation based on simulation tools and environments was carried out.Results show the proposed solution can successfully detect up to 92%of malicious data injection attacks.

Detection and defending the XSS attack using novel hybrid stacking ensemble learning-based DNN approach

Existing web-based security applications have failed in many situations due to the great intelligence of attackers.Among web applications,Cross-Site Scripting(XSS)is one of the dangerous assaults experienced while modifying an organization's or user's information.To avoid these security challenges,this article proposes a novel,all-encompassing combination of machine learning(NB,SVM,k-NN)and deep learning(RNN,CNN,LSTM)frameworks for detecting and defending against XSS attacks with high accuracy and efficiency.Based on the representation,a novel idea for merging stacking ensemble with web applications,termed“hybrid stacking”,is proposed.In order to implement the aforementioned methods,four distinct datasets,each of which contains both safe and unsafe content,are considered.The hybrid detection method can adaptively identify the attacks from the URL,and the defense mechanism inherits the advantages of URL encoding with dictionary-based mapping to improve prediction accuracy,accelerate the training process,and effectively remove the unsafe JScript/JavaScript keywords from the URL.The simulation results show that the proposed hybrid model is more efficient than the existing detection methods.It produces more than 99.5%accurate XSS attack classification results(accuracy,precision,recall,f1_score,and Receiver Operating Characteristic(ROC))and is highly resistant to XSS attacks.In order to ensure the security of the server's information,the proposed hybrid approach is demonstrated in a real-time environment.

A Novel Intrusion Detection Model of Unknown Attacks Using Convolutional Neural Networks

With the increasing number of connected devices in the Internet of Things(IoT)era,the number of intrusions is also increasing.An intrusion detection system(IDS)is a secondary intelligent system for monitoring,detecting and alerting against malicious activity.IDS is important in developing advanced security models.This study reviews the importance of various techniques,tools,and methods used in IoT detection and/or prevention systems.Specifically,it focuses on machine learning(ML)and deep learning(DL)techniques for IDS.This paper proposes an accurate intrusion detection model to detect traditional and new attacks on the Internet of Vehicles.To speed up the detection of recent attacks,the proposed network architecture developed at the data processing layer is incorporated with a convolutional neural network(CNN),which performs better than a support vector machine(SVM).Processing data are enhanced using the synthetic minority oversampling technique to ensure learning accuracy.The nearest class mean classifier is applied during the testing phase to identify new attacks.Experimental results using the AWID dataset,which is one of the most common open intrusion detection datasets,revealed a higher detection accuracy(94%)compared to SVM and random forest methods.

Phishing Attacks Detection Using EnsembleMachine Learning Algorithms

Phishing,an Internet fraudwhere individuals are deceived into revealing critical personal and account information,poses a significant risk to both consumers and web-based institutions.Data indicates a persistent rise in phishing attacks.Moreover,these fraudulent schemes are progressively becoming more intricate,thereby rendering them more challenging to identify.Hence,it is imperative to utilize sophisticated algorithms to address this issue.Machine learning is a highly effective approach for identifying and uncovering these harmful behaviors.Machine learning(ML)approaches can identify common characteristics in most phishing assaults.In this paper,we propose an ensemble approach and compare it with six machine learning techniques to determine the type of website and whether it is normal or not based on two phishing datasets.After that,we used the normalization technique on the dataset to transform the range of all the features into the same range.The findings of this paper for all algorithms are as follows in the first dataset based on accuracy,precision,recall,and F1-score,respectively:Decision Tree(DT)(0.964,0.961,0.976,0.968),Random Forest(RF)(0.970,0.964,0.984,0.974),Gradient Boosting(GB)(0.960,0.959,0.971,0.965),XGBoost(XGB)(0.973,0.976,0.976,0.976),AdaBoost(0.934,0.934,0.950,0.942),Multi Layer Perceptron(MLP)(0.970,0.971,0.976,0.974)and Voting(0.978,0.975,0.987,0.981).So,the Voting classifier gave the best results.While in the second dataset,all the algorithms gave the same results in four evaluation metrics,which indicates that each of them can effectively accomplish the prediction process.Also,this approach outperformed the previous work in detecting phishing websites with high accuracy,a lower false negative rate,a shorter prediction time,and a lower false positive rate.

EBCache:A Novel Cache-Based Mechanism for Mitigating the Spectre Attacks for RISC-V Processor

The cache-based covert channel is one of the common vulnerabilities exploited in the Spectre attacks.Current mitigation strategies focus on blocking the eviction-based channel by using a random/encrypted mapping function to translate memory address to the cache address,while the updated-based channel is still vulnerable.In addition,some mitigation strategies are also costly as it needs software and hardware modifications.In this paper,our objective is to devise low-cost,comprehensive-protection techniques for mitigating the Spectre attacks.We proposed a novel cache structure,named EBCache,which focuses on the RISC-V processor and applies the address encryption and blacklist to resist the Spectre attacks.The addresses encryption mechanism increases the difficulty of pruning a minimal eviction set.The blacklist mechanism makes the updated cache lines loaded by the malicious updates invisible.Our experiments demonstrated that the EBCache can prevent malicious modifications.The EBCache,however,reduces the processor’s performance by about 23%but involves only a low-cost modification in the hardware.

Evaluating the Efficacy of Latent Variables in Mitigating Data Poisoning Attacks in the Context of Bayesian Networks:An Empirical Study

Bayesian networks are a powerful class of graphical decision models used to represent causal relationships among variables.However,the reliability and integrity of learned Bayesian network models are highly dependent on the quality of incoming data streams.One of the primary challenges with Bayesian networks is their vulnerability to adversarial data poisoning attacks,wherein malicious data is injected into the training dataset to negatively influence the Bayesian network models and impair their performance.In this research paper,we propose an efficient framework for detecting data poisoning attacks against Bayesian network structure learning algorithms.Our framework utilizes latent variables to quantify the amount of belief between every two nodes in each causal model over time.We use our innovative methodology to tackle an important issue with data poisoning assaults in the context of Bayesian networks.With regard to four different forms of data poisoning attacks,we specifically aim to strengthen the security and dependability of Bayesian network structure learning techniques,such as the PC algorithm.By doing this,we explore the complexity of this area and offer workablemethods for identifying and reducing these sneaky dangers.Additionally,our research investigates one particular use case,the“Visit to Asia Network.”The practical consequences of using uncertainty as a way to spot cases of data poisoning are explored in this inquiry,which is of utmost relevance.Our results demonstrate the promising efficacy of latent variables in detecting and mitigating the threat of data poisoning attacks.Additionally,our proposed latent-based framework proves to be sensitive in detecting malicious data poisoning attacks in the context of stream data.

On Zero Dynamics and Controllable Cyber-Attacks in Cyber-Physical Systems and Dynamic Coding Schemes as Their Countermeasures

In this paper, we study stealthy cyber-attacks on actuators of cyber-physical systems(CPS), namely zero dynamics and controllable attacks. In particular, under certain assumptions, we investigate and propose conditions under which one can execute zero dynamics and controllable attacks in the CPS. The above conditions are derived based on the Markov parameters of the CPS and elements of the system observability matrix. Consequently, in addition to outlining the number of required actuators to be attacked, these conditions provide one with the minimum system knowledge needed to perform zero dynamics and controllable cyber-attacks. As a countermeasure against the above stealthy cyber-attacks, we develop a dynamic coding scheme that increases the minimum number of the CPS required actuators to carry out zero dynamics and controllable cyber-attacks to its maximum possible value. It is shown that if at least one secure input channel exists, the proposed dynamic coding scheme can prevent adversaries from executing the zero dynamics and controllable attacks even if they have complete knowledge of the coding system. Finally, two illustrative numerical case studies are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and capabilities of our derived conditions and proposed methodologies.

Termite Attack and Damage in Cocoa Plantations in Daloa Department, Central-Western Côte d’Ivoire

Cocoa farming faces numerous constraints that affect production levels. Among these constraints are termites, one of the biggest scourges in tropical agriculture and agroforestry. The aim of this study is to assess the level of damage caused by termites in cocoa plantations. To this end, 3 plantations were selected. In each of the 3 plantations, 18 plots containing an average of 47 ± 6 cocoa plants were delimited. Sampling was based on 25 cocoa plants per plot. The study consisted in sampling the termites observed on the plants and noting the type of damage caused by them, taking into account the density of the harvest veneers and, above all, the termites’ progress through the anatomical structures of the plant, i.e. the bark, sapwood and heartwood. A total of 8 termite species were collected from cocoa plants. These species are responsible for four types of damage (D1, D2, D3 and D4), grouped into minor damage (D1 and D2) and major damage (D3 and D4). D1 damage ranged from 24.67% ± 5.64% to 39.55% ± 7.43%. D2 damage ranged from 6.88% ± 1.31% to 9.33% ± 2.79%. D3 damage ranged from 2.88% ± 1.55% to 6.44% ± 1.55%. D4 damage ranged from 1.11% ± 1% to 3.11% ± 1.37%. Among the termite species collected, Microcerotermes sp, C. sjostedti, A. crucifer and P. militaris were the most formidable on cocoa trees in our study locality. In view of the extensive damage caused by termites, biological control measures should be considered, using insecticidal plants.

Countermeasure against blinding attack for single-photon detectors in quantum key distribution

Quantum key distribution(QKD),rooted in quantum mechanics,offers information-theoretic security.However,practi-cal systems open security threats due to imperfections,notably bright-light blinding attacks targeting single-photon detectors.Here,we propose a concise,robust defense strategy for protecting single-photon detectors in QKD systems against blinding attacks.Our strategy uses a dual approach:detecting the bias current of the avalanche photodiode(APD)to defend against con-tinuous-wave blinding attacks,and monitoring the avalanche amplitude to protect against pulsed blinding attacks.By integrat-ing these two branches,the proposed solution effectively identifies and mitigates a wide range of bright light injection attempts,significantly enhancing the resilience of QKD systems against various bright-light blinding attacks.This method forti-fies the safeguards of quantum communications and offers a crucial contribution to the field of quantum information security.

Novel cyber-physical collaborative detection and localization method against dynamic load altering attacks in smart energy grids

Owing to the integration of energy digitization and artificial intelligence technology,smart energy grids can realize the stable,efficient and clean operation of power systems.However,the emergence of cyber-physical attacks,such as dynamic load-altering attacks(DLAAs)has introduced great challenges to the security of smart energy grids.Thus,this study developed a novel cyber-physical collaborative security framework for DLAAs in smart energy grids.The proposed framework integrates attack prediction in the cyber layer with the detection and localization of attacks in the physical layer.First,a data-driven method was proposed to predict the DLAA sequence in the cyber layer.By designing a double radial basis function network,the influence of disturbances on attack prediction can be eliminated.Based on the prediction results,an unknown input observer-based detection and localization method was further developed for the physical layer.In addition,an adaptive threshold was designed to replace the traditional precomputed threshold and improve the detection performance of the DLAAs.Consequently,through the collaborative work of the cyber-physics layer,injected DLAAs were effectively detected and located.Compared with existing methodologies,the simulation results on IEEE 14-bus and 118-bus power systems verified the superiority of the proposed cyber-physical collaborative detection and localization against DLAAs.

Experimental Study of Local Scour Around Four Piles Under Different Attack Angles and Gap Ratios

In an effort to investigate and quantify the patterns of local scour,researchers embarked on an in-depth study using a systematic experimental approach.The research focused on the effects of local scour around a set of four piles,each subjected to different hydromechanical conditions.In particular,this study aimed to determine how different attack angles—the angles at which the water flow impinges on the piles,and gap ratios—the ratios of the spacing between the piles to their diameters,influence the extent and nature of scour.A comprehensive series of 35 carefully designed experiments were orchestrated,each designed to dissect the nuances in how the gap ratio and attack angle might contribute to changes in the local scour observed at the base of pile groups.During these experimental trials,a wealth of local scour data were collected to support the analysis.These data included precise topographic profiles of the sediment bed around the pile groups,as well as detailed scour time histories showing the evolution of scour at strategic feature points throughout the test procedure.The analysis of the experimental data provided interesting insights.The study revealed that the interplay between the gap ratio and the attack angle had a pronounced influence on the scouring dynamics of the pile groups.One of the key observations was that the initial phases of scour,particularly within the first hour of water flow exposure,were characterized by a sharp increase in the scour depth occurring immediately in front of the piles.After this initial rapid development,the scour depth transitioned to a more gradual change rate.In contrast,the scour topography around the piles continuously evolved.This suggests that sediment displacement and the associated sculpting of the seabed around pile foundations are sustained and progressive processes,altering the underwater landscape over time.The results of this empirical investigation have significant implications for the design and construction of offshore multi-pile foundations,providing a critical reference for engineers and designers to estimate the expected scour depth around such structures,which is an integral part of decisions regarding foundation design,selection of structural materials,and implementation of scour protection measures.