Reliable and secure information and communications systems for electrical utilities

Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) systems have become pervasive. The underlying technologies of these systems were developed before security was a priority. Using conventional approaches, it is not possible to mitigate these systems adequately for use in Critical Infrastructure (CI). <br/><br/>Some strategies have been considered for legacy sites. A novel approach to asset identification is considered. Restricting data flows is a solution for security issues in certain classes of applications and the data diode is an example of such an implementation. This has been demonstrated in a smart grid context using standardized phasor measurement data. To make this approach more scalable, an OpenFlow Software-Defined Network (SDN) may be used. Vulnerabilities in this approach are identified and the attack surface minimised. Configuration and change as a vector for vulnerability is mitigated by automating provisioning, based on IEC 61850 data models. This solution is then generalized for provisioning any NETCONF/YANG compatible network devices. <br/><br/>Finally, these ideas are combined in the concept of a software-defined node, where the core functionality of a processing device is separated from its data communications functionality. There is no access path between the core processor and the external network.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

Doctor of Philosophy

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral Thesis

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Queen's University Belfast

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• O'Raw, John Bourke

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Laverty, David
• Morrow, David

• Data Diode
• IEC61850
• SDN
• SD-Node

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

oai:pure.qub.ac.uk/portal:studenttheses/42feb0d0-7d6e-4f86-bbde-e043710ee9c9

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:pure.qub.ac.uk/portal:studenttheses/42feb0d0-7d6e-4f86-bbde-e043710ee9c9