Design and Development Considerations of a Cyber Physical Testbed for Operational Technology Research and Education

Area of Science:

• Cyber-Physical Systems Security
• Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity
• Transportation Infrastructure Protection

Background:

• Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are increasingly vulnerable to sophisticated cybersecurity attacks.
• Attacks on critical infrastructure (CI) and industrial control systems (ICSs) surged by 150% in 2022, impacting over 150 operations.
• There is an urgent need for advanced cybersecurity strategies and educational tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a specialized cyber-physical testbed (CPT) for transportation CI.
• To create a cost-effective, high-fidelity, and safe platform for cybersecurity education and research.
• To demonstrate tangible consequences of cyber-attacks on real-world systems.

Main Methods:

• Designed a hybrid CPT featuring a simplified automated level-crossing system.
• Emulated ICS components using single-board computers (SBCs) and open-source solutions for high-fidelity networking and low-cost development.
• Integrated sensors for analogue transduction attack demonstration and wireless access points for multi-user engagement.

Main Results:

• The CPT successfully visualized the impact of cyber-attacks on transportation CI.
• Denial-of-service attacks were demonstrated as SBCs became overwhelmed at traffic surges of 12 Mbps.
• The system facilitated the demonstration of analogue transduction attacks on physical implementations.

Conclusions:

• The developed CPT is a cost-effective, open-source, and modular solution for cybersecurity education and research.
• The platform provides ample challenges for users and supports future expansion.
• The CPT effectively highlights the tangible consequences and potential impact of cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure.