Cryptographic Considerations for Automation and SCADA Systems Using Trusted Platform Modules

Area of Science:

• Cybersecurity
• Industrial Automation
• Information Technology

Background:

• Increasing cyber threats target Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and automation systems in the Industrial-Internet-of-Things (IIoT) and Industry 4.0 era.
• Interconnection and interoperability expand vulnerabilities, especially with legacy protocols like Modbus TCP, DNP3, and S7, exposing critical infrastructure and manufacturing data.
• Intruder access to system data can cause severe damage to industrial processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address security issues in legacy industrial systems using insecure communication protocols.
• To explore the capabilities of Trusted Platform Modules (TPMs) for securing SCADA and automation systems.
• To ensure the authenticity of data transmitted between entities in horizontal and vertical interoperation using Modbus TCP.

Main Methods:

• Integration of Trusted Platform Modules (TPMs) into automation/SCADA systems.
• Development of two methods to ensure the authenticity of transmitted messages.
• Utilizing TPM functionalities for Modbus TCP communication security.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated advantages of TPM integration in enhancing automation/SCADA system security.
• Experimental results show the effectiveness of proposed methods in assuring message authenticity.
• Measurements indicate the time latency introduced by the TPM integration concept.

Conclusions:

• Trusted Platform Modules (TPMs) offer a viable solution to enhance the security of industrial automation and SCADA systems.
• TPM integration can effectively assure data authenticity in Modbus TCP communications within Industry 4.0 environments.
• The study provides insights into the security benefits and performance implications of TPMs in critical infrastructures.