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This paper examines methodologies for monitoring energy consumption and operational parameters of an industrial assembly line, with a particular emphasis on the utilization of virtual tools, augmented reality, and real-time data visualization. The research examines the integration of an interface and the implementation of a data acquisition system, employing augmented reality to facilitate interaction with the collected data. The proposed system employs the Node-RED interface to facilitate the establishment of connections between constituent elements. The data is stored in a database, which provides support for decision-making in the analysis of energy consumption and operational parameters of the industrial assembly line. The results demonstrate that the solution is effective in enhancing energy resource management, identifying inefficiencies, and optimizing the performance of industrial equipment. The findings indicate that the implementation of such a system can markedly enhance the industrial process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The general evolution of fieldbus systems has been variously affected by both computer electrical engineering and science. First, the main contribution undoubtedly originated from network IT systems, when the Open Systems Interconnection model was presented. This reference model with seven layers was and remains the foundation for the development of numerous advanced communication protocols. In this paper, the conducted research resulted in a major contribution; specifically, it describes the mathematical model for the Modbus protocol and defines the acquisition cycle model that corresponds to incompletely defined protocols in order to provide a timestamp and achieve temporal consistency for proposed Modbus Extension. The derived technical contribution of the authors is to exemplify the functionality of a typical industrial protocol that can be decomposed to improve the performance of data acquisition systems. Research results in this area have significant implications for innovations in industrial automation networking because of increasing distributed installations and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering human influence and its negative impact on the environment, the world will have to transform the current energy system into a cleaner and more sustainable one. In residential as well as office buildings, there is a demand to minimize electricity consumption, improve the automation of electrical appliances and optimize electricity utilization. This paper describes the implementation of a smart switch with extended facilities compared to traditional switches, such as visual indication of evacuation routes in case of fire and acoustic alerts for emergencies. The proposed embedded system implements Modbus RTU serial communication to receive information from a fire alarm-control panel. An extension to the Modbus communication protocol, called Modbus Extended (ModbusE), is also proposed for smart switches and emergency switchboards. The embedded smart switch described in this paper as a scientific and practical contribution in this field, based on a performant microcontroller system, is integrated into the Building Internet of Things (BIoT) concept and uses the innovative ModbusE protocol. The proposed smart lighting system integrates building lighting access control for smart switches and sockets and can be extended to incorporate functionality for smart thermostats, access control and smart sensor-based information acquisition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the need for real-time sag monitoring of Overhead Power Lines (OPL) for electricity transmission, this article presents the implementation of a hardware and software system for online monitoring of OPL cables. The mathematical model based on differential equations and the methods of algorithmic calculation of OPL cable sag are presented. Considering that, based on the mathematical model presented, the calculation of cable sag can be done in different ways depending on the sensors used, and the presented application uses a variety of sensors. Therefore, a direct calculation is made using one of the different methods. Subsequently, the verification relations are highlighted directly, and in return, the calculation by the alternative method, which uses another group of sensors, generates both a verification of the calculation and the functionality of the sensors, thus obtaining a defect observer of the sensors. The hardware architecture of the OPL cable online monitoring application is presented, together with the main characteristics of the sensors and communication equipment used. The configurations required to transmit data using the ModBUS and ZigBee protocols are also presented. The main software modules of the OPL cable condition monitoring application are described, which ensure the monitoring of the main parameters of the power line and the visualisation of the results both on the electricity provider's intranet using a web server and MySQL database, and on the Internet using an Internet of Things (IoT) server. This categorisation of the data visualisation mode is done in such a way as to ensure a high level of cyber security. Also, the global accuracy of the entire OPL cable sag calculus system is estimated at 0.1%. Starting from the mathematical model of the OPL cable sag calculation, it goes through the stages of creating such a monitoring system, from the numerical simulations carried out using Matlab to the real-time implementation of this monitoring application using Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench (LabVIEW). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of rapid development of Internet of Things (IoT), numerous machine-to-machine technologies have been applied to the industrial domain. Due to the divergence of IoT solutions, the industry is faced with a need to apply various technologies for automation and control. This fact leads to a demand for an establishing interworking mechanism which would allow smooth interoperability between heterogeneous devices. One of the major protocols widely used today in industrial electronic devices is Modbus. However, data generated by Modbus devices cannot be understood by IoT applications using different protocols, so it should be applied in a couple with an IoT service layer platform. oneM2M, a global IoT standard, can play the role of interconnecting various protocols, as it provides flexible tools suitable for building an interworking framework for industrial services. Therefore, in this paper, we propose an interworking architecture between devices working on the Modbus protocol and an IoT platform implemented based on oneM2M standards. In the proposed architecture, we introduce the way to model Modbus data as oneM2M resources, rules to map them to each other, procedures required to establish interoperable communication, and optimization methods for this architecture. We analyze our solution and provide an evaluation by implementing it based on a solar power management use case. The results demonstrate that our model is feasible and can be applied to real case scenarios.

Industrial Control Systems (ICSs) have become the cornerstone of critical sectors like energy, transportation, and manufacturing. However, the burgeoning interconnectivity of ICSs has also introduced heightened risks from cyber threats. The urgency for robust ICS security validation has never been more pronounced. This paper provides an in-depth exploration of using the MITRE ATT&CK (Adversarial Tactics, Techniques, and Common Knowledge) framework to validate ICS security. Although originally conceived for enterprise Information Technology (IT), the MITRE ATT&CK framework's adaptability makes it uniquely suited to address ICS-specific security challenges, offering a methodological approach to identifying vulnerabilities and bolstering defence mechanisms. By zeroing in on two pivotal attack scenarios within ICSs and harnessing a suite of security tools, this research identifies potential weak points and proposes solutions to rectify them. Delving into Indicators of Compromise (IOCs), investigating suitable tools, and capturing indicators, this study serves as a critical resource for organisations aiming to fortify their ICS security. Through this lens, we offer tangible recommendations and insights, pushing the envelope in the domain of ICS security validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Smart Grid is a cyber-integrated power grid that manages electricity generation, transmission, and distribution to consumers and central to its functioning is the substation. However, integrating cyber-infrastructure into the substation has increased its attack surface. Notably, sophisticated attacks such as the PipeDream APT exploit multiple device protocols, such as Modbus, DNP3, and IEC61850. The substation’s constraints pose challenges for implementing security measures such as encryption and intrusion detection systems. To address this, we propose a comprehensive trust-based framework aimed at enhancing substation security. The framework comprises a trust model, a risk posture model, and a trust transferability model. The trust model detects protocol-based attacks on Intelligent Electronic Devices and SCADA HMI systems, while the risk posture model dynamically assesses the substation’s risk posture. The trust transferability model evaluates the feasibility of transferring and integrating a device and its trust capabilities into a different substation. The practical substation emulation involves a Docker-based testbed, employing a multi-agent architecture with a real-time Security Operations Center-influenced dashboard. Assessment involves testing against attacks guided by the MITRE ICS ATT&CK framework. Our framework displays resilience against diverse attacks, identifies malicious behavior, and rewards trustworthy devices.

The general evolution of fieldbus systems has been variously affected by both computer electrical engineering and science. First, the main contribution undoubtedly originated from network IT systems, when the Open Systems Interconnection model was presented. This reference model with seven layers was and remains the foundation for the development of numerous advanced communication protocols. In this paper, the conducted research resulted in a major contribution; specifically, it describes the mathematical model for the Modbus protocol and defines the acquisition cycle model that corresponds to incompletely defined protocols in order to provide a timestamp and achieve temporal consistency for proposed Modbus Extension. The derived technical contribution of the authors is to exemplify the functionality of a typical industrial protocol that can be decomposed to improve the performance of data acquisition systems. Research results in this area have significant implications for innovations in industrial automation networking because of increasing distributed installations and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications.

Considering human influence and its negative impact on the environment, the world will have to transform the current energy system into a cleaner and more sustainable one. In residential as well as office buildings, there is a demand to minimize electricity consumption, improve the automation of electrical appliances and optimize electricity utilization. This paper describes the implementation of a smart switch with extended facilities compared to traditional switches, such as visual indication of evacuation routes in case of fire and acoustic alerts for emergencies. The proposed embedded system implements Modbus RTU serial communication to receive information from a fire alarm-control panel. An extension to the Modbus communication protocol, called Modbus Extended (ModbusE), is also proposed for smart switches and emergency switchboards. The embedded smart switch described in this paper as a scientific and practical contribution in this field, based on a performant microcontroller system, is integrated into the Building Internet of Things (BIoT) concept and uses the innovative ModbusE protocol. The proposed smart lighting system integrates building lighting access control for smart switches and sockets and can be extended to incorporate functionality for smart thermostats, access control and smart sensor-based information acquisition.

This paper examines methodologies for monitoring energy consumption and operational parameters of an industrial assembly line, with a particular emphasis on the utilization of virtual tools, augmented reality, and real-time data visualization. The research examines the integration of an interface and the implementation of a data acquisition system, employing augmented reality to facilitate interaction with the collected data. The proposed system employs the Node-RED interface to facilitate the establishment of connections between constituent elements. The data is stored in a database, which provides support for decision-making in the analysis of energy consumption and operational parameters of the industrial assembly line. The results demonstrate that the solution is effective in enhancing energy resource management, identifying inefficiencies, and optimizing the performance of industrial equipment. The findings indicate that the implementation of such a system can markedly enhance the industrial process.

The effective operation of distributed energy sources relies significantly on the communication systems employed in microgrids. This article explores the fundamental communication requirements, structures, and protocols necessary to establish a secure connection in microgrids. This article examines the present difficulties facing, and progress in, smart microgrid communication technologies, including wired and wireless networks. Furthermore, it evaluates the incorporation of diverse security methods. This article showcases a case study that illustrates the implementation of a distributed cyber-security communication system in a microgrid setting. The study concludes by emphasizing the ongoing research endeavors and suggesting potential future research paths in the field of microgrid communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fifth-generation networks promise wide availability of wireless communication with inherent security features. The 5G standards also outline access for different applications requiring low latency, machine-to-machine communication, or mobile broadband. These networks can be advantageous to numerous applications that require widespread and diverse communications. One such application is found in smart grids. Smart grid networks, and Operational Technology (OT) networks in general, utilize a variety of communication protocols for low-latency control, data monitoring, and reporting at every level. Transitioning these network communications from wired Wide Area Networks (WANs) to wireless communication through 5G can provide additional benefits to their security and network configurability. However, introducing these wireless capabilities may also result in a degradation of network latency. In this paper, we propose utilizing 5G for smart grid communications, and we evaluate the latency impacts of encapsulating GOOSE, Modbus, and DNP3 for transmission over a 5G network. The OpenAirInterface open-source library is utilized to deploy an in-lab 5G Core Network and gNB for testing with off-the-shelf User Equipment (UE). This creates an effective 5G test platform for experimenting with different OT protocols such as GOOSE. The results are validated by measuring two different Intelligent Electronic Devices' contact closure times for each network configuration. These tests are also conducted for varying packet sizes in order to isolate different sources of network latency. Our study outlines the latency impact of communication over 5G for time-critical and non-critical applications regarding their transition toward private 5G-based OT network implementations. The conducted experiments illustrate that in the case of GOOSE packets, simple encapsulation may exceed the protocol's time-critical nature, and, therefore, additional measures must be taken to ensure a viable transition of GOOSE to 5G services. However, non-critical applications are shown to be viable for migration to 5G. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with an energy metering system for electricity monitoring for each and every household that is different from the conventional energy meter. This proposed design is meant to be a better alternative for an efficient and more secure line for energy usage by the consumer without any illegal access to their connections so that they don't have to pay for something they aren't accountable for in the first place and protect the supplier/provider, which is the government, from incurring any losses from the theft as well as from customers who tamper with the meter values. These things are vital in today's world. So, we are taking this into account and designing a smart meter with the IoT technology for monitoring data values at the tip of our fingers, readily available at any moment. It serves many purposes, from the monitoring of energy consumption to easily using mobile phones to work on managing the energy usage according to their budget. It is also easy for the supplier to monitor without manually inspecting the location. The WiFi module ESP8266 is used for the purpose of transmitting the energy data to the server. This paper also deals with a smart grid system in which energy meters are used as a two-way communication system as opposed to conventional meters with one-way communication, which will be a more efficient system. This IoT is good in terms of its development towards an easy and advanced metering infrastructure, which also needs secure communication between the supplier and consumer to protect that data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems monitor and control critical infrastructure processes. SCADA systems do not have adequate detection and defense mechanisms against developing cyber attacks and contain many security vulnerabilities. Using SCADA systems in critical infrastructures of national and international importance means new targets for malicious attackers. In addition, using SCADA systems with new technologies brings new perspectives to the security world. When technologies such as SDN are integrated with SCADA systems, it brings advantages to the system regarding manageability and programmability. However, security problems also occur against attacks such as DDoS. For these reasons, it is imperative to ensure the cyber security of SCADA systems. In this study, the case of Software Defined Network (SDN)-based SCADA systems exposed to DDoS attacks are discussed. Logistic Regression, K-Nearest Neighbors, Random Forest, and Support Vector Machine (SVM) classification algorithms have been used for attack detection. A ready-made dataset has been studied, and accordingly, the model that makes the most accurate determination has been proposed in our study. The results show that the proposed SVM classifier model (97.2% accuracy rate) effectively detects DDoS attacks against SDN-based SCADA systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the need for real-time sag monitoring of Overhead Power Lines (OPL) for electricity transmission, this article presents the implementation of a hardware and software system for online monitoring of OPL cables. The mathematical model based on differential equations and the methods of algorithmic calculation of OPL cable sag are presented. Considering that, based on the mathematical model presented, the calculation of cable sag can be done in different ways depending on the sensors used, and the presented application uses a variety of sensors. Therefore, a direct calculation is made using one of the different methods. Subsequently, the verification relations are highlighted directly, and in return, the calculation by the alternative method, which uses another group of sensors, generates both a verification of the calculation and the functionality of the sensors, thus obtaining a defect observer of the sensors. The hardware architecture of the OPL cable online monitoring application is presented, together with the main characteristics of the sensors and communication equipment used. The configurations required to transmit data using the ModBUS and ZigBee protocols are also presented. The main software modules of the OPL cable condition monitoring application are described, which ensure the monitoring of the main parameters of the power line and the visualisation of the results both on the electricity provider’s intranet using a web server and MySQL database, and on the Internet using an Internet of Things (IoT) server. This categorisation of the data visualisation mode is done in such a way as to ensure a high level of cyber security. Also, the global accuracy of the entire OPL cable sag calculus system is estimated at 0.1%. Starting from the mathematical model of the OPL cable sag calculation, it goes through the stages of creating such a monitoring system, from the numerical simulations carried out using Matlab to the real-time implementation of this monitoring application using Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench (LabVIEW).

Industrial control systems (ICS) like supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems play a crucial role in monitoring and controlling various process industries in national critical infrastructures. They are connecting to internet and highly inter-connected corporate networks for sharing the field data to third party heterogeneous systems like enterprise resource planning, third party SCADA systems etc. Even though it helps to share the data for monitoring and control of systems, it also opens the doors for cyber-attacks. It needs to strengthen the cyber security of these SCADA systems. There are various components in SCADA systems which requires to build security in these components. Generally, most of the SCADA systems uses MODBUS communication protocol for scanning the PLC devices to acquire the field data. The communication protocol security is one of the main components which was little addressed. The MODBUS protocol was developed without security in mind because security aspect was not a concern in closed environments of industrial control systems. It is highly vulnerable to cyber-attacks. There are some methods already developed by scholars to implement security in MODBUS protocol, but the existing methods modified the MODBUS frame formats. Hence, they are not suitable to the existing legacy systems because they do not support interoperability between various industry manufacturer's products. Another critical problem in existing methods is all the required security features were not implemented in a single method which would satisfy the security features like integrity, confidentiality, non-repudiation, authorization and authentication. In this paper, we designed and developed a new method by developing Secure Modbus Gateway Server and Client modules to provide secure data transfer between data acquisition servers and PLCs. In this methodology, the modules were developed using RSA and AES algorithms for achieving confidentiality and non-repudiation, SHA algorithm to provide integrity of the message. These modules also support authorization and authentication features. The time stamp in the Modbus frame was also included and transmitted to prevent replay attacks. The advantages of these modules/methodology are, it supports all required features for secure data transfer like integrity, confidentiality, non-repudiation, authorization and authentication. They also provide time stamp, frame filtering and exception response alarm triggering features. These modules also support interoperability and they can be easily installed in existing legacy systems. We measured performance metrics like attack resilience rate (ARP), attack penetration rate (APR) and overheads. This method protects the ICS system for 97% of attacks. The overhead on protocol was also calculated and it is found that 3.5% extra delay in round trip time which is very minor and can be tolerated in exchange of the important security benefits offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of technology, more malicious traffic data brought negative influences on industrial areas. Modbus protocol plays a momentous role in the communications of Industrial Control Systems (ICS), but it's vulnerable to Denial of Service attacks(DoS). Traditional detection methods cannot perform well on fine-grained detection tasks which could contribute to locating targets of attacks and preventing the destruction. Considering the temporal locality and high dimension of malicious traffic, this paper proposed a Neural Network architecture named MODLSTM, which consists of three parts: input preprocessing, feature recoding, and traffic classification. By virtue of the design, MODLSTM can form continuous stream semantics based on fragmented packets, discover potential low-dimensional features and finally classify traffic at a fine-grained level. To test the model's performances, some experiments were conducted on industrial and public datasets, and the models achieved excellent performances in comparison with previous work(accuracy increased by 0.71% and 0.07% respectively). The results show that the proposed method has more satisfactory abilities to detect DoS attacks related to Modbus, compared with other works. It could help to build a reliable firewall to address a variety of malicious traffic in diverse situations, especially in industrial environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fifth-generation networks promise wide availability of wireless communication with inherent security features. The 5G standards also outline access for different applications requiring low latency, machine-to-machine communication, or mobile broadband. These networks can be advantageous to numerous applications that require widespread and diverse communications. One such application is found in smart grids. Smart grid networks, and Operational Technology (OT) networks in general, utilize a variety of communication protocols for low-latency control, data monitoring, and reporting at every level. Transitioning these network communications from wired Wide Area Networks (WANs) to wireless communication through 5G can provide additional benefits to their security and network configurability. However, introducing these wireless capabilities may also result in a degradation of network latency. In this paper, we propose utilizing 5G for smart grid communications, and we evaluate the latency impacts of encapsulating GOOSE, Modbus, and DNP3 for transmission over a 5G network. The OpenAirInterface open-source library is utilized to deploy an in-lab 5G Core Network and gNB for testing with off-the-shelf User Equipment (UE). This creates an effective 5G test platform for experimenting with different OT protocols such as GOOSE. The results are validated by measuring two different Intelligent Electronic Devices’ contact closure times for each network configuration. These tests are also conducted for varying packet sizes in order to isolate different sources of network latency. Our study outlines the latency impact of communication over 5G for time-critical and non-critical applications regarding their transition toward private 5G-based OT network implementations. The conducted experiments illustrate that in the case of GOOSE packets, simple encapsulation may exceed the protocol’s time-critical nature, and, therefore, additional measures must be taken to ensure a viable transition of GOOSE to 5G services. However, non-critical applications are shown to be viable for migration to 5G.

As a promising industrial wireless network technology, 5G URLLC is playing a key role in industrial control systems which employ different kinds of industrial control protocols. This leaves a significant challenge in how to adapt 5G URLLC with existing industrial control protocols and develop novel industrial wireless controllers. Motivated by this, this paper investigates the protocol adaptation and experimental evaluations for the development of a 5G-based industrial wireless controller prototype. Specifically, using the globally used industrial protocol Modbus as an example, we first deeply analyze the characteristics of the data packet format and the communication time sequence of Modbus RTU, Modbus TCP, and 5G protocols. Then, we propose a protocol resolution and conversion scheme for the protocol adaptation between Modbus RTU/Modbus TCP and 5G. Furthermore, we develop a wireless programmable logic controller (PLC) prototype system based on 5G. To evaluate the protocol adaptation scheme and the developed prototype, we perform extensive experiments to test the reliability and latency. The results demonstrate that the latency of the protocol adaptation scheme is smaller than that of protocol transparent transmission without resolution and conversion, while the reliability loss is not large. Moreover, the speed and reliability for the protocol adaptation between Modbus TCP and 5G are better than those between Modbus RTU and 5G. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary function of a distributed bus is to connect sensors, actuators, and control units that are used for an acquisition process. Application domains, such as industrial monitoring and control systems, manufacturing processes, or building automation, present different requirements that are not exactly invariable and coherent. Updating data from Modbus-type devices involves updating data through a technique called polling, which involves repeatedly scanning the registers from each device. This paper highlights the performance of Modbus communication, considering scenarios in which distributed devices are integrated and accessed registers are or are not at consecutive addresses. The Modbus protocol allows reading one or more holding-type data registers. If the registers are not at consecutive addresses, multiple requests are required, with implications for the real-time characteristics of the data acquisition system. We studied the data update times within the SMARTConvert application when variable numbers of registers are accessed, and we designed an extension for the Modbus protocol. The major reason Modbus is used in current research is that no assumptions are required about application semantics, and the performance/resource ratio for generic services is excellent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the rapid global development of industrial technologies and the resulting rapid growth in the production lines of industry and manufacturing, traditional manufacturing must become intelligent and automated, and undergo the process of informatization. Machines can reduce human errors, replace manpower, and even work better than manpower in certain aspects. Over recent years, the Internet of Things (IoT) has been applied in a wide range of fields. IoT helps control all the production information of factories in real time, and accordingly, reduces labor cost, improves quality, efficiently handles exceptions, and swiftly meets market demands, and how to achieve such a goal is a focus of current studies. This study proposes an IoT-based communication system that can monitor the operations of robotic arms and return data to users through a system interface in real time. This communication system is based on Fieldbus as the system architecture, and utilizes HIWIN Company (HI-tech WINner) Robot System Software (HRSS) and an electric gripper's intelligent measurement function to collect and analyze data. On this basis, this study efficiently determines whether the quality of products meets the standard, and uses the Weintek human-machine interface to remotely adjust robotic arms to achieve intelligent monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few developments have changed the evolution of the automation process as substantially as the development of industrial local area networks and communication protocols. Especially fieldbus systems, networks created for the lowest levels of the automation hierarchy, have an enormous influence on the flexibility and performance of modern automation systems in all application areas. The technique of updating data on Modbus type devices involves a procedure of reading data at regular time intervals called polling. Some automation processes include interdependence between different control variables belonging to different hardware devices. This paper presents and analyzes various scenarios related to a variable architecture configuration of physical modules based on Modbus communication protocol. The proposed Modbus Extension (ModbusE) concept is presented by defining the new optimized message format, and the structure of the acquisition cycle to obtain a deterministic temporal behavior, solutions for describing devices at the Modbus protocol level being presented. The status update of each Modbus module is done according to the address of the device, but also the number of registers per device. The paper analyses the worst-case scenario of communication involving Modbus devices on the same network and exchanging data corresponding to one or more server registers.

Parallel operation by multiple power converters is typical in microgrids. The communication method for parallel control mainly applies MODBUS RTU (Remote Terminal Unit), and the control performance largely depends on the communication speed. This paper proposes a new communication method that enables fast and accurate communication between master and slave systems combined in parallel using the PWM and capture functions of DSP used as the power converter controller. In the proposed communication method, the transmitting side uses the PWM function of DSP to generate a pulse waveform whose pulse width changes according to the reference command and transmits it to the receiving side. Suppose the capture function of the receiving side DSP is set to the time difference rising and falling edge mode. The set event occurs when the capture signal is detected and initializes the counter value to zero. At this time, it detects the counter signal and receives data. We explain the proposed communication method’s principle, characteristics, and noise-canceling method and evaluate the accuracy and stability through data transmission and reception experiments. Finally, three 10kW single-phase electronic loads are connected to the R, S, and T phases to form a three-phase electronic load, and a master and two slaves are designated. The validity of the proposed communication method is verified through the current control response according to the command.

This paper proposes an anomaly detection and classification method for industrial control systems (ICSs). The proposed method is based on network traffic data of industrial field protocols like Modbus TCP and S7 Communication. First, the denoising autoencoder (DAE) is utilized to reduce data noise and extract core features from data. Second, the synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE) and the Tomek link (T-Link) mechanism are employed to oversample and undersample data for addressing the data imbalance problem. Finally, extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) is used to leverage the ensemble learning concept to avoid overfitting for achieving good performance. A real-life railway industry ICS dataset called Electra is used to evaluate the performance of the proposed method, and the evaluation results are compared with those of other related methods. The proposed method is shown to have the highest (100%) precision, recall and F1-score for anomaly detection, and have fairly high performance of anomaly classification. The contribution of this paper is to show that integrating the DAE, SMOTE, T-Link, and XGBoost schemes can achieve the highest or extremely high performance in the aspect of ICS anomaly detection and classification based on network traffic. The computational complexity and convergence analyses of the proposed method are also provided in this paper. Furthermore, the code implementing the proposed method is released for public access through IEEE Code Ocean so that the effectiveness and the applicability of the method can be validated.

The Zero Trust concept is being adopted in information technology (IT) deployments, while human users remain to be the main risk for operational technology (OT) deployments. This article proposes to enhance the new Modbus/TCP Security protocol with authentication and authorization functions that guarantee security against intentional unauthorized access. It aims to comply with the principle of never trusting the person who is accessing the network before carrying out a security check. Two functions are tested and used in order to build an access control method that is based on a username and a password for human users with knowledge of industrial automation control systems (IACS), using simple means, low motivation, and few resources. A man-in-the-middle (MITM) component was added in order to intermediate the client and the server communication and to validate these functions. The proposed scenario was implemented using the Node-RED programming platform. The tests implementing the functions and the access control method through the Node-RED software have proven their potential and their applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compromised Smart Grid, or its components, can have cascading effects that can affect lives. This has led to numerous cybersecurity-centric studies focusing on the Smart Grid in research areas such as encryption, intrusion detection and prevention, privacy and trust. Even though trust is an essential component of cybersecurity research; it has not received considerable attention compared to the other areas within the context of Smart Grid. As of the time of this study, we observed that there has neither been a study assessing trust within the Smart Grid nor were there trust models that could detect malicious attacks within the substation. With these two gaps as our objectives, we began by presenting a mathematical formalization of trust within the context of Smart Grid devices. We then categorized the existing trust-based literature within the Smart Grid under the NIST conceptual domains and priority areas, multi-agent systems and the derived trust formalization. We then proposed a novel substation-based trust model and implemented a Modbus variation to detect final-phase attacks. The variation was tested against two publicly available Modbus datasets (EPM and ATENA H2020) under three kinds of tests, namely external, internal, and internal with IP-MAC blocking. The first test assumes that external substation adversaries remain so and the second test assumes all adversaries within the substation. The third test assumes the second test but blacklists any device that sends malicious requests. The tests were performed from a Modbus server's point of view and a Modbus client's point of view. Aside from detecting the attacks within the dataset, our model also revealed the behaviour of the attack datasets and their influence on the trust model components. Being able to detect all labelled attacks in one of the datasets also increased our confidence in the model in the detection of attacks in the other dataset. We also believe that variations of the model can be created for other OT-based protocols as well as extended to other critical infrastructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The possibility of cyber-attacks against critical infrastructure, and in particular nuclear power plants, has prompted several efforts by academia. Many of these works aim to capture the vulnerabilities of the industrial control systems used in these plants through computer simulations and hardware in the loop configurations. However, general results in this area are limited by the cost and diversity of existing commercial equipment and protocols, as well as by the inherent complexity of the nuclear plants. In this context, this work introduces a testbed for the study of cyber-attacks against a realistic simulation of a nuclear power plant. Our approach consists in surveying issues regarding realistic simulations of nuclear power plants and to design and experimentally validate a software testbed for the controlled analysis of cyberattacks against the simulated nuclear plant. The proposal integrates a simulated Modbus/TCP network environment containing basic industrial control elements implemented with open-source software components. We validate the proposed testbed architecture by performing and analyzing a representative cyberattack in the developed environment, thus showing the principles for the analysis of other possible cybernetic attacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issues of automation of production processes are currently not losing their relevance. Many existing devices and systems operate in manual or semi-automatic mode, which leads to known problems. The methods of connecting system elements and the choice of protocols for transmitting signals between them are quite well-established, however, due to the emergence of new devices and communication channels with improved characteristics, the issues of choosing methods and algorithms for the operation of such systems require modification. As a criterion for the quality of the constructed system, an assessment of the reliability of the system is used, provided that the specified time constraints on the performance of the main tasks are met. The elements of novelty of the presented solution are the use of domestically produced equipment at all stages of the system operation, as well as some solutions for the choice of communication channels and signal transmission protocols. Note that the main elements of novelty relate to the software implementation of the system, the description of which is beyond the scope of this article and is planned to be published in a separate work. Purpose. The aim of the work is to develop the structure of an automated control system for a stone crushing plant. Methodology. The work uses the methods of systems analysis, the theory of signal transmission and the theory of algorithms. Results. The use of the presented solution made it possible to implement a simpler and more efficient hardware and software model of the control system, which will reduce the number of failures of various subsystems of the stone crushing plant. In addition, some new features have been introduced, such as the ability to remotely control and receiving data to accounting software. Practical implications. The obtained results are advisable to be applied by production entities carrying out activities, one of the elements of which is the use of crushing plants and complexes.

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Artificial intelligence has been widely used in various applications such as health and safety, smart homes, greenhouses, and industrial application. It has been increasingly utilized in the industry owing to its benefits in terms of enhancing the overall performance of a given system. This study appeared from a real need in many local industries. In this paper, a prototype system has been implemented for artificial control on the temperature of the industrial panel. The paper includes two control systems executed; classical PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) and fuzzy logic with a comparison between them. Fuzzy control algorithm is developing based on Sugeno method inside PLC (Programmable Logic Controller). The connection of PLC with sensors is used by the Modbus protocol. Arduino UNO and Ethernet shield are used to connect the sensor to the router and then to PLC by Modbus.

The internet of things is rapidly becoming a fact of life. There remain, however, various challenges with respect to the concept of Industry 4.0 before this new reality is fully integrated into the industrial sector. One such challenge is ensuring security, an essential issue in terms of both management and operational technology involving the configuration and administration of physical equipment. Another is integrating equipment from different manufacturers which must be configured and/or administered with incompatible protocols. Likewise, remote access to systems must be carried out from a browser in the web frame. This paper presents a set of tools, available as a cloud-based service, which facilitates access to the physical equipment located in a business. The access enables the end user to see and/or modify the configuration and management of data in a secure, controlled, organized and collaborative manner. In order to unify different protocols, the service makes use of the Modbus TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) protocol, one of the most commonly used by industry in local networks. The local Modbus communications are encapsulated in the Websocket protocol to make them accessible from the cloud. The tools proposed in this paper are based on open hardware platforms and free software, and they permit local and remote sensors and actuators to be fully and easily accessed. Hence, their chief advantage is that they allow access from any internet connection, via a browser, to the physical equipment located in an industry by means of user profiles in accordance with the security level set by each individual company.

As a promising industrial wireless network technology, 5G URLLC is playing a key role in industrial control systems which employ different kinds of industrial control protocols. This leaves a significant challenge in how to adapt 5G URLLC with existing industrial control protocols and develop novel industrial wireless controllers. Motivated by this, this paper investigates the protocol adaptation and experimental evaluations for the development of a 5G-based industrial wireless controller prototype. Specifically, using the globally used industrial protocol Modbus as an example, we first deeply analyze the characteristics of the data packet format and the communication time sequence of Modbus RTU, Modbus TCP, and 5G protocols. Then, we propose a protocol resolution and conversion scheme for the protocol adaptation between Modbus RTU/Modbus TCP and 5G. Furthermore, we develop a wireless programmable logic controller (PLC) prototype system based on 5G. To evaluate the protocol adaptation scheme and the developed prototype, we perform extensive experiments to test the reliability and latency. The results demonstrate that the latency of the protocol adaptation scheme is smaller than that of protocol transparent transmission without resolution and conversion, while the reliability loss is not large. Moreover, the speed and reliability for the protocol adaptation between Modbus TCP and 5G are better than those between Modbus RTU and 5G.

The concept of the new industry seeks not only to improve production processes, but also to bring solutions to environmental problems, in addition to reducing resource consumption, while maintaining high yields. This constant search for process optimization has been the main agent in the development of new technologies aimed at improving the performance of industrial production lines. Thus, this article proposes to raise some important concepts of Industry 4.0, and present the development of a remote IoT-based system that, through MQTT and Modbus protocols, will be responsible for monitoring the entire electrical network of an industrial plant, sending its data to the cloud, where it can be monitored and analyzed by the industry management sector or even by an artificial intelligence system, in a simple and effective way, in real time and from anywhere, in order to assist in decision-making focused on energy efficiency.

The primary function of a distributed bus is to connect sensors, actuators, and control units that are used for an acquisition process. Application domains, such as industrial monitoring and control systems, manufacturing processes, or building automation, present different requirements that are not exactly invariable and coherent. Updating data from Modbus-type devices involves updating data through a technique called polling, which involves repeatedly scanning the registers from each device. This paper highlights the performance of Modbus communication, considering scenarios in which distributed devices are integrated and accessed registers are or are not at consecutive addresses. The Modbus protocol allows reading one or more holding-type data registers. If the registers are not at consecutive addresses, multiple requests are required, with implications for the real-time characteristics of the data acquisition system. We studied the data update times within the SMARTConvert application when variable numbers of registers are accessed, and we designed an extension for the Modbus protocol. The major reason Modbus is used in current research is that no assumptions are required about application semantics, and the performance/resource ratio for generic services is excellent.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed major habits in learning patterns. Before the pandemic, almost all learning activities took place face-to-face. Especially vocational education, where competence or expertise is an absolute achievement that must be achieved. Learning patterns where practical learning reaches 60% of students must obtain practical learning directly. During the pandemic, direct learning activities cannot be carried out in full. This will have an impact on student competence. Solution is needed to solve it. One of them is how students can practice virtually. This article does not discuss the extent of competence achieved by a student through online practice. The focus of this article is to discuss how practical devices can be controlled remotely by designing a virtual system on the platform and running it in real time or known as dynamic application. And technicians or PLP will still supervise the operation of equipment in the laboratory. The device will be built using the MODBUS communication protocol.

The Zero Trust concept is being adopted in information technology (IT) deployments, while human users remain to be the main risk for operational technology (OT) deployments. This article proposes to enhance the new Modbus/TCP Security protocol with authentication and authorization functions that guarantee security against intentional unauthorized access. It aims to comply with the principle of never trusting the person who is accessing the network before carrying out a security check. Two functions are tested and used in order to build an access control method that is based on a username and a password for human users with knowledge of industrial automation control systems (IACS), using simple means, low motivation, and few resources. A man-in-the-middle (MITM) component was added in order to intermediate the client and the server communication and to validate these functions. The proposed scenario was implemented using the Node-RED programming platform. The tests implementing the functions and the access control method through the Node-RED software have proven their potential and their applicability.

A compromised Smart Grid, or its components, can have cascading effects that can affect lives. This has led to numerous cybersecurity-centric studies focusing on the Smart Grid in research areas such as encryption, intrusion detection and prevention, privacy and trust. Even though trust is an essential component of cybersecurity research; it has not received considerable attention compared to the other areas within the context of Smart Grid. As of the time of this study, we observed that there has neither been a study assessing trust within the Smart Grid nor were there trust models that could detect malicious attacks within the substation. With these two gaps as our objectives, we began by presenting a mathematical formalization of trust within the context of Smart Grid devices. We then categorized the existing trust-based literature within the Smart Grid under the NIST conceptual domains and priority areas, multi-agent systems and the derived trust formalization. We then proposed a novel substation-based trust model and implemented a Modbus variation to detect final-phase attacks. The variation was tested against two publicly available Modbus datasets (EPM and ATENA H2020) under three kinds of tests, namely external, internal, and internal with IP-MAC blocking. The first test assumes that external substation adversaries remain so and the second test assumes all adversaries within the substation. The third test assumes the second test but blacklists any device that sends malicious requests. The tests were performed from a Modbus server’s point of view and a Modbus client’s point of view. Aside from detecting the attacks within the dataset, our model also revealed the behaviour of the attack datasets and their influence on the trust model components. Being able to detect all labelled attacks in one of the datasets also increased our confidence in the model in the detection of attacks in the other dataset. We also believe that variations of the model can be created for other OT-based protocols as well as extended to other critical infrastructures.

This work presents a system and method to improve transmission quality in smart meter networks that use Modbus-RTU. Energy management systems in industries, buildings and urban infrastructure use smart meters interconnected in a network. These systems can demand a great quantity of interconnected devices, which sets down increasing requirements to communication networks in terms of transmission quality and speed. At the plant level, Modbus-RTU is the de facto protocol for the interconnection of electric meters. However, since it was created more than 4 decades ago, this protocol imposes constraints to transmission speed, maximum number of interconnected devices and error detection mechanisms. This proposal is applicable to Modbus-RTU meter networks that need to increase data transmission speed to be integrated into smart metering systems but face problems due to the increase in transmission errors caused by noise and electromagnetic interference in the field bus. The effectiveness of the proposed method to increase the data rate while maintaining reliability is studied, and simulation and experimental results are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence has been widely used in various applications such as health and safety, smart homes, greenhouses, and industrial application. It has been increasingly utilized in the industry owing to its benefits in terms of enhancing the overall performance of a given system. This study appeared from a real need in many local industries. In this paper, a prototype system has been implemented for artificial control on the temperature of the industrial panel. The paper includes two control systems executed; classical PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) and fuzzy logic with a comparison between them. Fuzzy control algorithm is developing based on Sugeno method inside PLC (Programmable Logic Controller). The connection of PLC with sensors is used by the Modbus protocol. Arduino UNO and Ethernet shield are used to connect the sensor to the router and then to PLC by Modbus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Los Edificios son los responsables de una parte importante del consumo de energía en las sociedades modernas, con los consiguientes efectos al medio ambiente y las emisiones de gases asociadas. Existe mucha literatura sobre la eficiencia energética y la automatización y control de edificios. En este artículo se hará una breve reseña sobre primera etapa de la instalación de un sistema de medición de consumo de energía, y el diseño de la arquitectura de un Sistema de Gestión de Edificios aplicado al edificio de la UTN FRSF para racionalizar consumos energéticos en la operación del mismo. Se dará una breve explicación sobre los criterios que se utilizaron en la selección de los elementos de la instalación y su implementación práctica. El objetivo principal es la definición de una arquitectura para reducir costos de operación del edificio sin afectar el confort y las prestaciones necesarias de las instalaciones.

The integration of variable distributed generations (DGs) and loads in microgrids (MGs) has made the reliance on communication systems inevitable for information exchange in both control and protection architectures to enhance the overall system reliability, resiliency and sustainability. This communication backbone in turn also exposes MGs to potential malicious cyber attacks. To study these vulnerabilities and impacts of various cyber attacks, testbeds play a crucial role in managing their complexity. This research work presents a detailed study of the development of a real-time co-simulation testbed for inverter-based MGs. It consists of a OP5700 real-time simulator, which is used to emulate both the physical and cyber layer of an AC MG in real time through HYPERSIM software; and SEL-3530 Real-Time Automation Controller (RTAC) hardware configured with ACSELERATOR RTAC SEL-5033 software. A human–machine interface (HMI) is used for local/remote monitoring and control. The creation and management of HMI is carried out in ACSELERATOR Diagram Builder SEL-5035 software. Furthermore, communication protocols such as Modbus, sampled measured values (SMVs), generic object-oriented substation event (GOOSE) and distributed network protocol 3 (DNP3) on an Ethernet-based interface were established, which map the interaction among the corresponding nodes of cyber-physical layers and also synchronizes data transmission between the systems. The testbed not only provides a real-time co-simulation environment for the validation of the control and protection algorithms but also extends to the verification of various detection and mitigation algorithms. Moreover, an attack scenario is also presented to demonstrate the ability of the testbed. Finally, challenges and future research directions are recognized and discussed.

Security is the main challenge of the Modbus IIoT protocol. The systems designed to provide security involve solutions that manage identity based on a centralized approach by introducing a single point of failure and with an ad hoc model for an organization, which handicaps the solution scalability. Our manuscript proposes a solution based on self-sovereign identity over hyperledger fabric blockchain, promoting a decentralized identity from which both authentication and authorization are performed on-chain. The implementation of the system promotes not only Modbus security, but also aims to ensure the simplicity, compatibility and interoperability claimed by Modbus.

The communication needs of the different stages of production proposed in the new industrial generation (INDUSTRY 4.0), demand devices that can handle high availability protocols. This paper presents an architecture of a cyber physical production system gateway that can be implemented in an SoC, integrating high availability communication interfaces as the high-availability seamless redundancy/ parallel redundancy protocol (HSR/PRP), industrial ethernet communication interfaces (e.g. Profinet), and connections to sensors and actuators (e.g. Modbus series). Considering the software and hardware adaptability that the architecture should have, field programmable gate array and reconfigurable devices, in general, are considered as the best options for implementation, since the architecture requires high levels of hardware and software flexibility. The proposed architecture was validated in an experimental environment that is implemented utilizing electronic design automation tools, IP cores, and Python libraries developed by third parties is presented, to achieve a device which handles high availability communication HSR/PRP, Profinet, Profibus, and Modbus.

The vigorous development of the Industrial Internet of Things brings the advanced connection function of the new generation of industrial automation and control systems. The Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) network is converted into an open and highly interconnected network, where the equipment connections between industrial electronic devices are integrated with a SCADA system through a Modbus protocol. As SCADA and Modbus are easily used for control and monitoring, the interconnection and operational efficiency between systems are highly improved; however, such connectivity inevitably exposes the system to the open network environment. There are many network security threats and vulnerabilities in a SCADA network system. Especially in the era of the Industrial Internet of Things, any security vulnerability of an industrial system may cause serious property losses. Therefore, this paper proposes an encryption and verification mechanism based on the trusted token authentication service and Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol to prevent attackers from physical attacks. Experimentally, this paper deployed and verified the system in an actual field of energy management system. According to the experimental results, the security defense architecture proposed in this paper can effectively improve security and is compatible with the actual field system.

Sensors, actuators, and controllers communicate with each other in our Water Management Cyber Physical System (WM-CPS). This WM-CPS is also Internet of Things (IoTs) enable because controllers used in WM-CPS always get a unique IP address during connection with internet. In our work, various communication standards like Ethernet/IP, Modbus/TCP, Modbus/RTU, Wi-Fi 802.11n/IP, Wi-Fi 802.11n/UDP, and Wi-Fi 802.11n/TCP are taken under consideration. Raspberry Pi-3 (RPi-3) board is a controller. Relay and Pump are actuators. Our system works on two layers. Sensors and actuators communicate with controllers on Layer 0 (L0). Controller communicate with data base management system (DBMS), web Interface and virtual private server (VPS) at Layer 1 (L1). We have design and develop web interface of our system available with http://cps4wm.info domain name. This WM-CPS is scalable and able to integrate many more sensors and actuators. We have surveyed 22 communication standards for our future WM-CPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]