[2603.03526] Multi-Agent Influence Diagrams to Hybrid Threat Modeling

Computer Science > Multiagent Systems arXiv:2603.03526 (cs) [Submitted on 3 Mar 2026] Title:Multi-Agent Influence Diagrams to Hybrid Threat Modeling Authors:Maarten C. Vonk, Anna V. Kononova, Thomas Bäck, Tim Sweijs View a PDF of the paper titled Multi-Agent Influence Diagrams to Hybrid Threat Modeling, by Maarten C. Vonk and 3 other authors View PDF HTML (experimental) Abstract:Western governments have adopted an assortment of counter-hybrid threat measures to defend against hostile actions below the conventional military threshold. The impact of these measures is unclear because of the ambiguity of hybrid threats, their cross-domain nature, and uncertainty about how countermeasures shape adversarial behavior. This paper offers a novel approach to clarifying this impact by unifying previously bifurcating hybrid threat modeling methods through a (multi-agent) influence diagram framework. The model balances the costs of countermeasures, their ability to dissuade the adversary from executing hybrid threats, and their potential to mitigate the impact of hybrid threats. We run 1000 semi-synthetic variants of a real-world-inspired scenario simulating the strategic interaction between attacking agent A and defending agent B over a cyber attack on critical infrastructure to explore the effectiveness of a set of five different counter-hybrid threat measures. Counter-hybrid measures range from strengthening resilience and denial of the adversary's ability to execute a hybrid threat...