Monitoring assembly for an industrial control system

• US 10,630,775 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2016
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Technology GmbH (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Technology GmbH (GE Aerospace)
• Inventors: Jenkins, Dylan
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Dionne
• Application Number:
  US15/572,075
• Publication Number:
  US 20180139283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/103 across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/14 for detecting or protecting against malicious traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/16 Implementing security features at a particular protocol layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/30 for supporting lawful interception, monitoring or retaining of communications or communication related information circuit switched telephony call monitoring H04M3/2281
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

An industrial control systems to control industrial processes and production, there is provided a monitoring assembly for such an industrial control system. The monitoring assembly comprises an industrial control system that includes a communications device which is connectable to a communications network and which is configured to attempt to send a request via the communications network to an internet address. The monitoring assembly also includes a monitoring apparatus that is configured to detect communication of the communications device with the internet address and following such detection provide an alarm notification including an indication that the industrial control system is connected to the Internet.

Claims

1. A monitoring assembly for an industrial control system comprising:

an industrial control system that controls an electrical power system, the industrial control system including a communications device connectable to a communications network and configured to attempt to send a request via the communications network to an internet address defined by a fixed internet server; and

a monitoring apparatus configured to detect communication of the communications device with the internet address and following such detection provide an alarm notification including an indication that the industrial control system is connected to the Internet, wherein the monitoring apparatus includes a second monitoring submodule which is located within the fixed internet server and configured to detect communication of the communications device with the internet address by detecting receipt of the request.

2. The monitoring assembly according to claim 1 wherein the monitoring apparatus includes a first monitoring submodule configured to detect communication of the communications device with the internet by detecting receipt of a response from the internet address to the request.

3. The monitoring assembly according to claim 2 wherein the first monitoring submodule is located within the industrial control system.

4. The monitoring assembly according to claim 2 wherein the first monitoring submodule is configured to provide an alarm notification within the industrial control system.

5. The monitoring assembly according to claim 2, wherein the first monitoring submodule is configured to communicate the alarm notification to the fixed internet server.

6. The monitoring assembly according to claim 1 wherein the fixed internet server is configured to identify the owner of the industrial control system indicated as being connected to the Internet and to notify the owner of the said industrial control system that the said industrial control system is so connected.

7. The monitoring assembly according to claim 6 wherein the fixed internet server is configured to identify the owner of the industrial control system indicated as being connected to the Internet based on information provided to it by the communications device of the said industrial control system.

8. A monitoring assembly according to claim 1 wherein the communications device is configured to attempt to send a first request via the communications network to a first internet address and a second request via the communications network to a second internet address, and the monitoring apparatus is configured to detect communication of the communications device with either of the first and second internet addresses and following such detection provide the alarm notification.