Automatic tampering detection in networked control systems
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorBalaje T. Thumati
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A configuration manager is associated with a Networked Control System (NCS) comprising a plurality of sensors and actuators. The configuration manager automatically discovers the hardware and/or software configurations of the sensors and actuators, and analyzes that information in order to detect whether any of the sensors and actuators have been tampered with. Provided the configuration manager detects such tampering, the configuration manager indicates the tampering to a control manager of the NCS, which then functions to minimize potential damage to the NCS.
Claims20
A configuration management device in a closed-loop, Networked Control System (NCS), wherein the NCS comprises a plurality of network components and control management circuitry that manages the plurality of network components, the configuration management device comprising:
- a communications interface configured to communicate with the plurality of network components in the NCS and with the control management circuitry in the NCS;
- and
- processing circuitry operatively connected to the communications interface and configured to:
- detect whether a discrepancy in configuration data received from a network component in the NCS exists based on a comparison of the configuration data with reference configuration data stored in a database;
- responsive to detecting the discrepancy, send a tamper detection signal to the control management circuitry indicating that the network component has been tampered with;
- and
- responsive to detecting that no discrepancy exists in the configuration data:
- monitor characteristics of data sent by the network component to the control management circuitry while the network component is in an operational mode;
- detect a discrepancy in the characteristics of the data sent by the network component based on a comparison to reference characteristics stored in the database;
- and
- responsive to detecting the discrepancy in the characteristics of the data sent by the network component, send the tamper detection signal to the control management circuitry indicating that the network component has been tampered with.
A method of controlling a closed-loop, Networked Control System (NCS), wherein the NCS comprises a plurality of network components and control management circuitry that manages the plurality of network components, the method comprising:
- detecting whether a discrepancy in configuration data received from a network component in the NCS exists based on a comparison of the configuration data with reference configuration data stored in a database;
- and
- responsive to detecting the discrepancy, sending a tamper detection signal to the control management circuitry indicating that the network component has been tampered with;
- and
- responsive to detecting that no discrepancy exists in the configuration data:
- monitoring characteristics of data sent by the network component to the control management circuitry while the network component is in an operational mode;
- detecting a discrepancy in the characteristics of the data sent by the network component based on a comparison to reference characteristics stored in the database;
- and
- responsive to detecting the discrepancy in the characteristics of the data sent by the network component, sending the tamper detection signal to the control management circuitry indicating that the network component has been tampered with.
A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program product configured to control a programmable computing device in a closed-loop, Networked Control System (NCS), the computer program product comprising software instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of the programmable computing device, cause the processing circuitry to:
- detect whether a discrepancy in configuration data received from a network component in the NCS exists based on a comparison of the configuration data with reference configuration data stored in a database;
- responsive to detecting the discrepancy, send a tamper detection signal to control management circuitry in the NCS indicating that the network component has been tampered with;
- and
- responsive to detecting that no discrepancy exists in the configuration data:
- monitor characteristics of data sent by the network component to the control management circuitry while the network component is in an operational mode;
- detect a discrepancy in the characteristics of the data sent by the network component based on a comparison to reference characteristics stored in the database;
- and
- responsive to detecting the discrepancy in the characteristics of the data sent by the network component, send the tamper detection signal to the control management circuitry indicating that the network component has been tampered with.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.