Development of an industrial SCADA firewall prototype using single board computer - part 2

• Main Author: Teo, Joycelyn Li Ting
• Other Authors: Goh Wang Ling
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/77674
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Cyber security has always been of great importance. Even more so in this age, as we move into the 4th industrial revolution. Threats such as the rise in hackers, cyber espionage and increased influence of radical activists’ groups cannot be undermined. Industries in critical infrastructure, such as oil and gas, transport and healthcare are the key pillars of any nation. These industries are particularly vulnerable to attacks. Due to the nature of these industries, Industrial Control Systems (ICS) are often used. Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) is one of such systems which controls the operations in these industries. In the past, SCADA systems operate in isolation from the rest of the world, within their own networks. However, as commercial IT became more efficient and were required for SCADA systems, they no longer operate in isolation from the rest of the world. Therefore, this exposes the systems to new cyber threats. One way in which we can secure these systems is through firewalls. This report will cover the different types of firewalls, firewall selected, the software tools and hardware equipment required, the process of setting up and migrating the existing firewall from a laptop into the industrial grade Single Board Computer (SBC), as well as the tests and results obtained. As critical infrastructure industries require smooth operations and good cyber defence, there has to be a balance between them. Therefore, the project was also conducted with this principle in mind.