Authenticated Timing Protocol Based on Galileo ACAS.

Area of Science:

• Satellite Navigation Systems
• Cybersecurity
• Industrial Control Systems

Background:

• Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs) are vital for precise positioning and timing across sectors like finance, Industry 4.0, and IoT.
• Secure time synchronization is crucial for coordinating multiple devices in industrial environments.
• GNSS vulnerabilities to time-spoofing attacks pose significant security risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel, robust, and secure timing protocol for industrial applications.
• To enhance system security against GNSS time-spoofing threats.
• To leverage Galileo's authentication services for improved time synchronization.

Main Methods:

• Development of a timing protocol independent of external time sources.
• Utilization of Galileo's Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OS-NMA) and Assisted Commercial Authentication Service (ACAS).
• Performance analysis and security evaluation against malicious attacks.
• Experimental validation of the proposed protocol.

Main Results:

• The proposed protocol demonstrates enhanced security and robustness against time-spoofing attacks.
• It provides a reliable time synchronization solution leveraging authenticated GNSS signals.
• Experimental tests successfully validated the protocol's effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• The developed timing protocol offers a secure and dependable solution for time synchronization in critical infrastructure.
• It effectively mitigates risks associated with GNSS vulnerabilities.
• Galileo's authentication services are key enablers for secure GNSS-based timing.