Strengthening Cybersecurity for Industrial Control Systems: Innovations in Protecting PLC-Based Infrastructure
- Resource Type
- Conference
- Authors
- Huang, Peng-Hao; Ibrahim, Hasan; Kim, Jaewon; Enjeti, Prasad; Kumar, P. R.; Rajendran, J. V.
- Source
- 2023 IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition (ECCE) Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition (ECCE), 2023 IEEE. :6541-6543 Oct, 2023
- Subject
- Components, Circuits, Devices and Systems
Power, Energy and Industry Applications
Transportation
Integrated circuits
Technological innovation
Process control
Watermarking
Variable speed drives
Pulse width modulation
Robustness
ASD
CPS (cyber physical system)
watermarking
PLC
- Language
- ISSN
- 2329-3748
In this paper, we propose two new approaches aimed at enhancing the security of industrial control systems (ICS) that utilize programmable logic controllers (PLCs) for the control of critical processes. The first approach involves the addition of a unique digital watermark to the PWM control that adjusts the motor speed to control the critical process. This enables efficient detection and identification of any unauthorized modifications to the sensor signals responsible for controlling the plant. The second approach focuses on monitoring the input current (i.e power) drawn by the PLC during the execution of critical process control tasks. Malicious intrusions to change the PLC parameters and/or unauthorized firmware updates can be rapidly detected. Both approaches demonstrate a substantial improvement in the security of ICS, effectively safeguarding against potential cyber-attacks. Experimental results from a laboratory scale water tank level controlled via PLC showcases rapid intrusion detection capabilities.