US 9,817,391 B2Granted

Security system for industrial control infrastructure

AssigneeRockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.

InventorsSujeet Chand, David A. Vasko, Timothy Patrick Boppre, David A. Snyder, Alex Laurence Nicoll, Brian J. McMullen, Daniel B. Seger, John B. Dart, Timothy F. Roback, Paul G. Kucharski, Kevin Colloton

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Abstract

An industrial control system providing security against tampering or modification generates periodic state thumbprints defining a state of control elements that may be forwarded to a security or safety appliance for comparison to a benchmark thumbprint indicating no tampering. The transmitted state thumbprint may capture not only programs but also configuration and environmental states of the control element.

Claims19

Dependent claims

An industrial control device for use in an industrial control system providing coordinated control of multiple industrial control devices according to a control program, the industrial control device comprising:

a network port for communicating with other elements of the industrial control system;
electrical connectors for accepting electrical conductors communicating with industrial equipment to receive or transmit electrical signals from or to that industrial equipment for the control of an industrial process;
at least one processor communicating with the network port and electrical connectors;
and
an electronic memory system accessible by the processor and holding data sources comprising:
operating software describing operation of the control device and executable by the processor, configuration data defining a configuration of the control device, and environmental data describing an operating environment of the control device, wherein the environmental data includes wire connection states of the electrical connectors, a spatial location of the control device or a temperature of the control device, wherein the operating software, configuration data, and environmental data together form a data set operable to define a control device state;
wherein the operating software is executable by the processor to:
(a) read at least a portion of the control device state to generate a state thumbprint of the control device state using a lossy compression system;
(b) encrypt the state thumbprint;
(c) transmit the encrypted state thumbprint over the network port to the industrial control system, wherein the encrypted state thumbprint is used to detect tampering with the industrial control system;
and
(d) perform a mitigation action in response to a detected tampering with the industrial control system.

9 more elements

An industrial control system comprising:

I. multiple intercommunicating control devices each providing:
(a) a network port for communicating with other control devices of the industrial control system;
(b) electrical connectors for accepting electrical conductors communicating with industrial equipment to receive or transmit electrical signals from or to that industrial equipment for the control of an industrial process;
(c) at least one processor communicating with the network port and electrical connectors;
and
(d) an electronic memory system accessible by the processor and holding data sources comprising:
operating software describing operation of the control device, configuration data defining a configuration of the control device, and environmental data defining an operating environment of the control device, wherein the environmental data includes wire connection states of the electrical connectors, a spatial location of the control device or a temperature of the control device, wherein the operating software, configuration data, and environmental data together forming a data set defining a control device state;
wherein the operating software is executable by the processor to:
(i) read at least a portion of the control device state to generate a state thumbprint of the control device state using a lossy compression system;
(ii) encrypt the state thumbprint;
and
(iii) transmit the state thumbprint over the network port;
II. a state monitor providing:
(a) a network port for communicating with control devices;
(b) at least one processor communicating with the network port;
(c) an electronic memory system accessible by the processor and holding:
a state-monitoring program and at least one benchmark state thumbprint representing a state thumbprint of a properly operating control device identified to a control device;
wherein the state-monitoring program is executable by the processor to:
(i) receive a state thumbprint from a given control device through the network port and decrypt the state thumbprint;
(ii) identify a benchmark state thumbprint corresponding to the given control device;
(iii) compare the received state thumbprint to the corresponding benchmark state thumbprint;
(iv) provide an output indicating whether the received state thumbprint matches the corresponding benchmark state thumbprint, wherein the output is used to detect tampering with the industrial control system;
and
(v) perform a mitigation action in response to a detected tampering with the industrial control system.

21 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/728,164Filed 2 Jun 2015
Published: US 2016/0357176 A18 Dec 2016
Granted: 14 Nov 2017
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

G05B 19/4185
Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible…:…
G05B 19/0428
Using digital processors: safety, monitoring
G06F 21/57
Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems: certifying or…
H04L 9/3263
Including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity…:…