PLCs, or Programmable Logic Controllers, have been part of industrial environments since the birth of automation. Given their evolution over time, thanks to greater intelligence, they have become a target of interest for potential attackers.
In order to increase security levels in OT networks, there are now solutions that monitor networks, devices and configurations, actively looking for anomalies and possible security flaws and intrusions that could take place. However, there are other types of attacks on ICS that are carried out on a completely different plane, where anomaly analysis systems can’t reach. These are attacks on analog sensors.
Although the use of black channel is associated with physical safety, it is also part of logical safety. Here we can see how the black channel intervenes in communications, its contribution, advantages, use cases and the differences between it and the white channel.
The defence in depth and, especially, the definition of Zones and Conduits is a subject considered by many experts as a "theoretical" matter. However, with the help of this article, the user will understand its applicability by explaining the keys to approach the creation of Zones and Conduits, as well as the elements that come into play.
Computers used in control systems to perform a particular process usually have high costs due to their specialisation for a very specific task. But is it possible to manage a process with a small-dimension mass-produced generic system? In some cases, yes, and this is being increasingly demonstrated by low-cost hardware available to both industry and individuals.