23,883 research outputs found
Securing the Participation of Safety-Critical SCADA Systems in the Industrial Internet of Things
In the past, industrial control systems were ‘air gapped’ and
isolated from more conventional networks. They used
specialist protocols, such as Modbus, that are very different
from TCP/IP. Individual devices used proprietary operating
systems rather than the more familiar Linux or Windows.
However, things are changing. There is a move for greater
connectivity – for instance so that higher-level enterprise
management systems can exchange information that helps
optimise production processes. At the same time, industrial
systems have been influenced by concepts from the Internet
of Things; where the information derived from sensors and
actuators in domestic and industrial components can be
addressed through network interfaces. This paper identifies a
range of cyber security and safety concerns that arise from
these developments. The closing sections introduce potential
solutions and identify areas for future research
Standardization in cyber-physical systems: the ARUM case
Cyber-physical systems concept supports the realization of the Industrie 4.0 vision towards the computerization of traditional industries, aiming to achieve intelligent and reconfigurable factories. Standardization assumes a critical role in the industrial adoption of cyber-physical systems, namely in the integration of legacy systems as well as the smooth migration from existing running systems to the new ones. This paper analyses some existing standards in related fields and presents identified limitations and efforts for a wider acceptance of such systems by industry. A special attention is devoted to the efforts to develop a standard-compliant service-oriented multi-agent system solution within the ARUM project.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Defending Against Firmware Cyber Attacks on Safety-Critical Systems
In the past, it was not possible to update the underlying software in many industrial control devices. Engineering
teams had to ‘rip and replace’ obsolete components. However, the ability to make firmware updates has provided
significant benefits to the companies who use Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), switches, gateways and
bridges as well as an array of smart sensor/actuators. These updates include security patches when vulnerabilities are
identified in existing devices; they can be distributed by physical media but are increasingly downloaded over
Internet connections. These mechanisms pose a growing threat to the cyber security of safety-critical applications,
which are illustrated by recent attacks on safety-related infrastructures across the Ukraine. Subsequent sections
explain how malware can be distributed within firmware updates. Even when attackers cannot reverse engineer the
code necessary to disguise their attack, they can undermine a device by forcing it into a constant upload cycle where
the firmware installation never terminates. In this paper, we present means of mitigating the risks of firmware attack
on safety-critical systems as part of wider initiatives to secure national critical infrastructures. Technical solutions,
including firmware hashing, must be augmented by organizational measures to secure the supply chain within
individual plants, across companies and throughout safety-related industries
A survey on cyber security for smart grid communications
A smart grid is a new form of electricity network with high fidelity power-flow control, self-healing, and energy reliability and energy security using digital communications and control technology. To upgrade an existing power grid into a smart grid, it requires significant dependence on intelligent and secure communication infrastructures. It requires security frameworks for distributed communications, pervasive computing and sensing technologies in smart grid. However, as many of the communication technologies currently recommended to use by a smart grid is vulnerable in cyber security, it could lead to unreliable system operations, causing unnecessary expenditure, even consequential disaster to both utilities and consumers. In this paper, we summarize the cyber security requirements and the possible vulnerabilities in smart grid communications and survey the current solutions on cyber security for smart grid communications. © 2012 IEEE
Applying Lessons from Cyber Attacks on Ukrainian Infrastructures to Secure Gateways onto the Industrial Internet of Things
Previous generations of safety-related industrial control systems were ‘air gapped’. In other words, process control
components including Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and smart sensor/actuators were disconnected and
isolated from local or wide area networks. This provided a degree of protection; attackers needed physical access to
compromise control systems components. Over time this ‘air gap’ has gradually been eroded. Switches and
gateways have subsequently interfaced industrial protocols, including Profibus and Modbus, so that data can be
drawn from safety-related Operational Technology into enterprise information systems using TCP/IP. Senior
management uses these links to monitor production processes and inform strategic planning. The Industrial Internet
of Things represents another step in this evolution – enabling the coordination of physically distributed resources
from a centralized location. The growing range and sophistication of these interconnections create additional
security concerns for the operation and management of safety-critical systems. This paper uses lessons learned
from recent attacks on Ukrainian critical infrastructures to guide a forensic analysis of an IIoT switch. The intention
is to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities that would enable similar attacks to be replicated across Europe and North
America
Securing Real-Time Internet-of-Things
Modern embedded and cyber-physical systems are ubiquitous. A large number of
critical cyber-physical systems have real-time requirements (e.g., avionics,
automobiles, power grids, manufacturing systems, industrial control systems,
etc.). Recent developments and new functionality requires real-time embedded
devices to be connected to the Internet. This gives rise to the real-time
Internet-of-things (RT-IoT) that promises a better user experience through
stronger connectivity and efficient use of next-generation embedded devices.
However RT- IoT are also increasingly becoming targets for cyber-attacks which
is exacerbated by this increased connectivity. This paper gives an introduction
to RT-IoT systems, an outlook of current approaches and possible research
challenges towards secure RT- IoT frameworks
Assessing and augmenting SCADA cyber security: a survey of techniques
SCADA systems monitor and control critical infrastructures of national importance such as power generation and distribution, water supply, transportation networks, and manufacturing facilities. The pervasiveness, miniaturisations and declining costs of internet connectivity have transformed these systems from strictly isolated to highly interconnected networks. The connectivity provides immense benefits such as reliability, scalability and remote connectivity, but at the same time exposes an otherwise isolated and secure system, to global cyber security threats. This inevitable transformation to highly connected systems thus necessitates effective security safeguards to be in place as any compromise or downtime of SCADA systems can have severe economic, safety and security ramifications. One way to ensure vital asset protection is to adopt a viewpoint similar to an attacker to determine weaknesses and loopholes in defences. Such mind sets help to identify and fix potential breaches before their exploitation. This paper surveys tools and techniques to uncover SCADA system vulnerabilities. A comprehensive review of the selected approaches is provided along with their applicability
A Design Approach to IoT Endpoint Security for Production Machinery Monitoring
The Internet of Things (IoT) has significant potential in upgrading legacy production machinery with monitoring capabilities to unlock new capabilities and bring economic benefits. However, the introduction of IoT at the shop floor layer exposes it to additional security risks with potentially significant adverse operational impact. This article addresses such fundamental new risks at their root by introducing a novel endpoint security-by-design approach. The approach is implemented on a widely applicable production-machinery-monitoring application by introducing real-time adaptation features for IoT device security through subsystem isolation and a dedicated lightweight authentication protocol. This paper establishes a novel viewpoint for the understanding of IoT endpoint security risks and relevant mitigation strategies and opens a new space of risk-averse designs that enable IoT benefits, while shielding operational integrity in industrial environments
A reliable next generation cyber security architecture for industrial internet of things environment
Architectural changes are happening in the modern industries due to the adaption and the deployment of ‘Internet of Things (IoT)’ for monitoring and controlling various devices remotely from the external world. The most predominant place where the IoT technology makes the most sense is the industrial automation processes in smart industries (Industry 4.0). In this paper, a reliable ‘Next Generation Cyber Security Architecture (NCSA)’ is presented for Industrial IoT (IIoT) environment that detects and thwarts cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities. It helps to automate the processes of exchanging real-time critical information between devices without any human intervention. It proposes an analytical framework that can be used to protect entities and network traffics involved in the IIoT wireless communication. It incorporates an automated cyber-defense authentication mechanism that detects and prevents security attacks when a network session has been established. The defense mechanism accomplishes the required level of security protection in the network by generating an identity token which is cryptographically encrypted and verified by a virtual gateway system. The proposed NCSA improves security in the IIoT environment and reduces operational management cost
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