VNWTS: A Virtual Water Chlorination Process for Cybersecurity Analysis of Industrial Control Systems

Robles Durazno, Andres; Moradpoor, Naghmeh; McWhinnie, James; Porcel-Bustamante, Jorge

Abstract

The rapid development of technology during the last decades has led to the integration of the network capabilities in the devices that are essential in the operation of Industrial Control Systems (ICS). Consequently, the attack surface of these assets has increased, putting at risk the nations that depend heavily on them for their continuity and functions. ICS physical and virtual testbeds are ideal platforms that can be used for cybersecurity research. Compared to physical testbeds, virtual testbeds are less expensive, safer to maintain, and more accessible, especially when access to research labs is restricted due to unforeseen circumstances such as COVID 19. Therefore, in this article, we propose VNWTS, a virtual water chlorination process for ICS cybersecurity analysis. VNWTS is composed of virtual components commonly found in physical ICS implementations. In addition, we implemented a set of attacks targeting the memory of the S7-1500 PLC and other VNWTS components such as level sensors, temperature sensors, and pumps. The results obtained from the experimentation phase show that the structure, configuration, and implementation of the VNWTS testbed can be used in ICS cybersecurity research.

Citation

Robles Durazno, A., Moradpoor, N., McWhinnie, J., & Porcel-Bustamante, J. (2021, December). VNWTS: A Virtual Water Chlorination Process for Cybersecurity Analysis of Industrial Control Systems. Presented at SINCONF 2021: 14th International Conference on Security of Information and Networks, Edinburgh (Online)

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (published)
• Conference Name: SINCONF 2021: 14th International Conference on Security of Information and Networks
• Start Date: Dec 15, 2021
• End Date: Dec 17, 2021
• Acceptance Date: Dec 7, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Feb 10, 2022
• Publication Date: 2021
• Deposit Date: Dec 8, 2021
• Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Book Title: 2021 14th International Conference on Security of Information and Networks (SIN)
• Chapter Number: 18
• ISBN: 9781728192673
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/SIN54109.2021.9699375
• Keywords: Industrial Control Systems, ICS, Virtual Testbed, Clean Water Treatment System
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2827714