LICSTER -- A Low-cost ICS Security Testbed for Education and Research

Unnoticed by most people, Industrial Control Systems (ICSs) control entire productions and critical infrastructures such as water distribution, smart grid and automotive manufacturing. Due to the ongoing digitalization, these systems are becoming more and more connected in order to enable remote control and monitoring. However, this shift bears significant risks, namely a larger attack surface, which can be exploited by attackers. In order to make these systems more secure, it takes research, which is, however, difficult to conduct on productive systems, since these often have to operate twenty-four-seven. Testbeds are mostly very expensive or based on simulation with no real-world physical process. In this paper, we introduce LICSTER, an open-source low-cost ICS testbed, which enables researchers and students to get hands-on experience with industrial security for about 500 Euro. We provide all necessary material to quickly start ICS hacking, with the focus on low-cost and open-source for education and research

Control-as-a-service from the cloud: A case study for using virtualized PLCs

Cloud computing has recently emerged as a new computing paradigm in many application areas comprising office and enterprise systems. It offers various solutions to provide a dynamic and flexible infrastructure to host computing resources and deliver them as a service on-demand. Since industrial automation systems of the future have to be adaptable and agile, cloud computing can be considered as a promising solution for this area. However, the requirements of industrial automation systems differ significantly from the office and enterprise world. In this paper we describe a case study that implements a concept of PLC as a service within a cloud based infrastructure and provides a performance evaluation with respect to legacy PLCs

Towards an isochronous wireless communication system for industrial automation

Deploying wireless technologies in industrial automation becomes more and more common. It is an enabler for many innovative applications where moving system components are involved, e. g. rotating parts of machines. However, many of such applications impose high temporal requirements on the wireless system, for instance isochronous data communication. Today, these requirements can not be met by existing solutions, such as IEEE802.11 Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). In this paper, an isochronous wireless communication system is investigated. It mainly consists of a deterministic medium access control, based on IEEE 802.11, which is extended with additional features for isochronous communication. The presented preliminary analysis shows the system's feasibility for the targeted industrial applications and presents promising performance improvements in comparison with standard mechanisms

Blockchain as an Internet of Services Application for an Advanced Manufacturing Environment

Part 7: Cyber-Physical SystemsInternational audienceIn the current dynamic and competitive market, contemporary manufacturing systems must be constantly adapted to meet the requirements for a more agile and smart production. The advent of Industry 4.0 comes as a reference on development of applications and technologies for manufacturing process innovation. Among the pillars of Industry 4.0, a noticeable relevance is given to Cyber Physical Systems, Internet of Things and Internet of Services. In parallel, new technologies as Blockchain and Smart Contracts are important innovations also coined by the Information Technology domain. More specifically, Internet of Services is characterized by a service-oriented computing model enabling a diversity of software-based services through the Internet, among them the Blockchain solution. The paper explores these technologies bringing their intersection as well as their possible applications in the shop floor level. Through the interlock of such concepts, the paper aims to propose an architecture that promotes the utilization of Blockchain for the validation of some service demands in an advanced manufacturing scenario of the Industry 4.0. Lastly a hypothetical case study is presented for illustrating the proposed architecture