Systems and methods for secure operation of an industrial controller

• US 9,397,997 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2015
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Chong, Justin Brandon, Socky, David Richard, Thakur, Pavan Kumar Singh, Pettigrew, William Robert, Boring, Robert James
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoffman, Brandon
• Application Number:
  US14/607,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20150143500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/048 Monitoring; Safety
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/414 Structure of the control system, e.g. common controller or multiprocessor systems, interface to servo, programmable interface controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/321 involving a third party or a trusted authority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3213 using tickets or tokens, e.g. Kerberos network architectures or network communication protocols for entities authentication using tickets in a packet data network H04L63/0807
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3268 using certificate validation, registration, distribution or revocation, e.g. certificate revocation list [CRL]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

A method of securing an industrial control system includes operating the industrial control system in an open mode, wherein communications between a plurality of devices of the industrial control system are unencrypted when the industrial control system is in the open mode. The method includes exchanging security tokens between the plurality of devices of the industrial control system. The method further includes ceasing operating the industrial control system in the open mode and instead operating the industrial control system in a secure mode, wherein the communications between the plurality of devices of the industrial control system are encrypted using the security tokens when the industrial control system is operating in the secure mode.

Claims

1. A method of securing an industrial control system, comprising:

operating the industrial control system in an open mode, wherein communications between a plurality of devices of the industrial control system are unencrypted when the industrial control system is in the open mode;

exchanging security tokens between the plurality of devices of the industrial control system; and

ceasing operating the industrial control system in the open mode and instead operating the industrial control system in a secure mode, wherein the communications between the plurality of devices of the industrial control system are encrypted using the security tokens when the industrial control system is operating in the secure mode.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising the plurality of devices acquiring respective security tokens from a security server of the industrial control system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein acquiring respective security tokens comprises the plurality of devices acquiring respective certificates from a certificate authority (CA) hosted by the security server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of devices comprises a human machine interface (HMI) system, a manufacturing execution system (MES), a supervisor control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, or a distributed control system (DCS), or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of devices includes a device hosting an industrial control system configuration application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of devices includes an industrial controller.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of devices includes a field device configured to perform at least one measurement of the operation of a monitored system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the monitored system comprises a gas turbine system, an automated manufacturing system, a petroleum refinery system, a chemical production system, a gasification system, an automated power generation system, a power plant, a steam turbine system, or a wind turbine system, or a combination thereof.

9. A method of securing an industrial control system, comprising:

transmitting unencrypted data between a first device and a second device of an industrial control system;

generating a first security token and a second security token for the first and second devices, respectively, using at least one processor of the industrial control system;

exchanging the first and second security tokens between the first and second devices of the industrial control system; and

ceasing transmitting unencrypted data between the first and second devices, and subsequently only transmitting encrypted data between the first and second devices, wherein the encrypted data is encrypted based on the first and second security tokens.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the security tokens comprise certificates including at least one key.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising generating the encrypted data based on the at least one key of the first and second security tokens.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein exchanging the first and second security tokens between the first and second devices comprises:

the first device verifying an identity of the second device using the second security token; and

the second device verifying an identity of the first device using the first security token.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the first device comprises a human machine interface (HMI) system and the second device comprises an industrial controller.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the first device comprises a device hosting an industrial control system configuration application and the second device comprises an industrial controller.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the first device comprises a field device and the second device comprises an industrial controller.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein transmitting the encrypted data between the first and second devices comprises establishing a secure socket layer (SSL) connection between the first and second devices and using the SSL connection to transmit the encrypted data between the first and second devices.

17. A system, comprising:

an industrial control network comprising a plurality of devices that includes an industrial controller, wherein the plurality of devices is configured to;

exchange respective security tokens between the plurality of devices over the industrial control network;

cease exchanging unencrypted data over the industrial control network; and

exchange encrypted data over the industrial control network, wherein the encrypted data is generated based on the respective security tokens.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of devices includes a device hosting an industrial control system configuration application.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of devices includes a human machine interface (HMI) system, manufacturing execution system (MES), a supervisor control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, or a distributed control system (DCS), or a combination thereof.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of devices comprises a security server configured to generate the respective security tokens for the plurality of devices.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the security server comprises a certificate authority (CA) configured to generate respective certificates for the plurality of devices as the respective security tokens of the plurality of devices.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of devices is configured to perform mutual authentication using the respective security tokens of the plurality of devices.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of devices is configured to use the respective security tokens to establish at least one secure socket layer (SSL) connection over the industrial control network.