IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/reensy/v261y2025ics0951832025003242.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Review of Game Theory and Risk and Reliability Analysis in Infrastructures and Networks

Author

Listed:
  • Hausken, Kjell
  • Welburn, Jonathan W.
  • Zhuang, Jun

Abstract

Game theory and risk and reliability analysis are reviewed related to multiple targets, infrastructures and networks. Methodologies and terminology are described, including strategic choices, the use of probability theory, and equilibrium and minmax solutions. The review proceeds through defense and attack in reliability systems, and the related concept of system survivability which is the probability that a system continues functioning upon attack. A defender and an attacker allocate resources into preserving and operating versus disrupting or destroying targets (components). Thereafter multiple-target attacker-defender games are reviewed, at multiple levels, and followed by interdependence between targets. That is relevant since an attack on or disruption of one target may impact other targets, which impacts the defender's resource allocation across targets and the attacker's strategy. Interdiction strategies to preserve and disrupt, respectively, the operation of networks are analyzed. For example, society seeks to preserve infrastructure networks, and disrupt flows of illegal drugs and enemy troops. The review highlights how cascading failures influence strategic decision-making, requiring adaptive security mechanisms. Research on electric power grids and transportation networks is examined, demonstrating how attacker-defender interactions impact critical infrastructure resilience. By systematically classifying gametheoretic models, this review identifies key methodological advancements in attacker-defender equilibrium modeling, stochastic risk assessment, and resilience optimization. Future research directions are assessed, emphasizing the need for dynamic reliability modeling, multi-agent frameworks, and empirical validation to enhance real-world applicability. This review serves as a foundation for integrating game theory into risk and reliability analysis, providing actionable insights for researchers and practitioners in infrastructure security.

Suggested Citation

  • Hausken, Kjell & Welburn, Jonathan W. & Zhuang, Jun, 2025. "A Review of Game Theory and Risk and Reliability Analysis in Infrastructures and Networks," Reliability Engineering and System Safety, Elsevier, vol. 261(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:reensy:v:261:y:2025:i:c:s0951832025003242
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ress.2025.111123
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0951832025003242
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ress.2025.111123?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Game theory; Risk analysis; Reliability; Infrastructure protection; Networks;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C7 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:reensy:v:261:y:2025:i:c:s0951832025003242. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/reliability-engineering-and-system-safety .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.