As legacy ICS systems evolve and new systems are deployed, their topology and connectivity can change. Applications that require remote connectivity between ICS devices are becoming more common. For example, a solar array controller may request information from a remote weather station to optimize energy production. The weather station may be in a remote location and require a secure communications link to ensure false weather data is not used by the solar array controller. To provide the communications link, it may not be practical to use wired, traditional short-range ICS wireless transports (e.g. Zigbee, IEEE 802.15.4), or proprietary radio networks for transport due to availability, cost, and/or time to deploy. With the emergence of Internet of Things specific cellular protocols available from multiple cellular providers, these cellular systems can be used for ICS applications. These services will continue to improve during the transition to 5G.However, the security of the transport providers cannot be guaranteed. This presentation will discuss the use of cellular connectivity to deploy secure distributed ICS systems. The discussion will include threats to distributed control systems and specific concerns with using cellular networks along with possible mitigations.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand cybersecurity concerns when connecting a distributed ICS to control systems enclave.
- Understand how to use cellular connectivity securely to facilitate distributed control systems
- Understand data protection requirements on ICS data used in regulated applications
