Communication System, Adapter for a Terminal and Method for Securely Transmitting Time-Critical Data within the Communication System

A method for securely transmitting time-critical data within a communication system comprising a plurality of local networks which each comprises at least one switch and a plurality of terminals, a control unit which controls functions of a plurality of switches and terminals, and a control network which is assigned to the control unit and separate from the plurality of local networks, the method comprising:

• authorizing implicitly communication within the plurality of local networks based on an assignment of respective terminals to the same local network;
• assigning a zero trust adapter to each terminal which captures status information pertaining to a terminal, forwards the status information via the control network to the control unit for evaluation and authenticates the terminal to at least one of the control unit and communication partners;
• and
• determining, by the control unit, a trust score for each of the plurality of terminals based on the status information and applying rules for at least one of configuration and permissible communication relationships of the plurality of terminals, said rules being dependent on the trust score.

A communication system for securely transmitting time-critical data, the communication system comprising:

• a plurality of local networks each comprising at least one switch and a plurality of terminals, a control unit which controls the functions of a plurality of switches and terminals, and a control network assigned to the control unit and separate from the plurality of local networks;
• wherein the local networks are each configured to ensure that communication within a respective local network is implicitly authorized based on an assignment of the respective terminals to the same local network;
• wherein the terminals are each assigned a zero trust adapter configured to capture status information pertaining to a terminal, to forward the status information via the control network to the control unit for evaluation and to authenticate the terminal to at least one of the control unit and communication partners;
• wherein the control unit is configured to determine a trust score for each of the plurality of terminals based on the status information and to apply rules for at least one of configuration and permissible communication relationships of the terminals, said rules being dependent on the trust score.