Zero-trust security implementation for industrial networks

Abstract

Industrial processes have become more interconnected, which allows new production configurations, more efficiency, and operational safety. However, this increase in connectivity can make industrial systems vulnerable to cyberthreats that can compromise the confidentiality of the information transmitted in industrial networks. Several strategies have been proposed in the literature to defend industrial systems against external attacks, such as opacity and cryptography. However, only few works deal with the problem of industrial networks that are internally compromised. In this paper, a new defense approach is proposed considering that the industrial network has been compromised. To do so, an analysis of the efficiency of RSA cryptographic procedure is carried out to ensure the security of the communication between Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and an SCADA application. In this context, the information is decrypted only after all network components validate it. Using this strategy, it is possible to guarantee a secure information traffic in the network even when one of the network agents is compromised by an attacker.