Cyberattack-resilient control system design

A method for performing security failover in an industrial production environment, the method comprising:

• receiving, by a programmable logic controller, a data block from an automation device over a network communication session;
• determining, by the programmable logic controller, that the data block has been maliciously revised;
• in response to determining that the data block has been maliciously revised, performing one or more of:
• replacing the data block with a revised replica of the data block for all subsequent operations performed by the programmable logic controller using the data block, and
• utilizing a plurality of alternative network sessions through one or more intermediary programmable logic controllers for future communications with the automation device.

A system for performing security failover in an industrial production environment, the system comprising:

• a programmable logic controller comprising:
• a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing an application program comprising plurality of organizational blocks, a plurality of function blocks, and a plurality of data blocks;
• and
• one or more security function blocks configured to perform a failover operation in response to detecting a maliciously revised block among the organization blocks, function blocks, or data blocks, the failover operation comprising one or more of:
• (i) if the maliciously revised block is a function block or a function, utilizing an equivalent function block or function located on a failover computing device to perform operations for the function block or the function during execution of the application program,
• (ii) if the maliciously revised block is received from an automation device over a first networking session, utilizing a plurality of alternative network sessions through one or more intermediary programmable logic controllers for future communications with the automation device, or
• (iii) replacing the maliciously revised block with a revised replica of the maliciously revised block for all subsequent operations performed by the programmable logic controller using the maliciously revised block.