The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) has tested research technologies under a Department of Homeland Security-funded pilot that aims to safeguard industrial control systems from cyber-attacks.
Demonstrations showcased the capabilities of APL-developed technologies to prevent, detect and mitigate cyberattacks on industrial control systems, the not-for-profit, university-affiliated research center said Wednesday.
The pilot used the water treatment testbed in APL's Cyber Physical Resilient Systems Solutions laboratory to demonstrate a Resilient ICS.
David Halla, a cybersecurity engineer who manages the Homeland Integrated Cyber Operations Program in APL’s Asymmetric Operations Sector, said a cyberattack was effective during testing and demonstrations without defensive technologies.
“But when we turn these defensive technologies on, they prevent the attack from happening," he added.
One of the technologies implemented in the CYPRESS testbed is the Out-of-Band over Existing Communication, or OBEC, for detecting changes to water treatment-related values. APL also tested the Network Deception and Response Toolkit and the Mitigating Incidents with Mock Industrial Control Systems.
"[The technologies] can be combined with open-source tools to provide a robust, resilient approach to ICS cybersecurity," said Lauren Eisenberg Davis of APL.