Systems and methods for secure operation of an industrial controller

• US 9,935,933 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2016
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• 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 S
• Application Number:
  US15/214,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20160330187A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 two devices of the industrial control system are unencrypted when the industrial control system is in the open mode;

operating the industrial control system in a negotiation mode, wherein each of the two devices acquires a respective security token from a server of the industrial control system and exchanges the respective security token with the other of the two devices when the industrial control system is in the negotiation mode; and

ceasing operating the industrial control system in the open mode or the negotiation mode and instead operating the industrial control system in a secure mode, wherein the communications between the two 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, wherein each of the two devices acquires a respective certificate as the respective security token from a certificate authority (CA) hosted by the server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the two devices is 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.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the two devices is a device hosting an industrial control system configuration application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the two devices is an industrial controller.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the two devices is a field device configured to perform at least one measurement of the operation of a monitored system.

7. The method of claim 6, 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.

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

transmitting unencrypted data from a processor of a first device of an industrial control system to a processor of a second device of an industrial control system;

requesting, via the processor of the first device, a first security token from a server of the industrial control system;

receiving, at the processor of the first device, the first security token from the server of the industrial control system;

sending, via the processor of the first device, the first security token to the processor of the second device;

receiving, via the processor of the first device, a second security token from the processor of the second device; and

ceasing transmitting unencrypted data and subsequently only transmitting encrypted data from the processor of the first device to the processor of the second device of the industrial control system, wherein the encrypted data is encrypted based on the first and second security tokens.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second security tokens comprise certificates including at least one key.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising generating the encrypted data based on the at least one key of the first and second security tokens.

11. The method of claim 8, comprising:

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

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first device comprises a human machine interface (HMI) system and the second device comprises an industrial controller.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the first device comprises a device hosting an industrial control system configuration application and the second device comprises an industrial controller.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the first device comprises a field device and the second device comprises an industrial controller.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein transmitting the encrypted data from the processor of the first device to the processor of the second device comprises establishing a secure channel between the first and second devices and using the secure channel to transmit the encrypted data between the first and second devices.

16. 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;

receive respective security tokens from a server of the industrial controller;

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.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of devices includes a device hosting an industrial control system configuration application.

18. The system of claim 16, 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.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the 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.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of devices is configured to perform mutual authentication using the respective security tokens of other devices of the plurality of devices.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of devices is configured to use the respective security tokens to establish at least one secure channel over the industrial control network.