A Blockchain Architecture to Increase the Resilience of Industrial Control Systems from the Effects of a Ransomware Attack: A Proposal and Initial Results-Reference-Cited by-同舟云学术

A Blockchain Architecture to Increase the Resilience of Industrial Control Systems from the Effects of a Ransomware Attack: A Proposal and Initial Results

Published:2024-01-19 Issue:1 Volume:8 Page:1-13
ISSN:2378-962X
Container-title:ACM Transactions on Cyber-Physical Systems
language:en
Short-container-title:ACM Trans. Cyber-Phys. Syst.

Author:

Kirkman Stephen S.¹^ORCID,Fulton Steven²^ORCID,Hemmes Jeffrey²^ORCID,Garcia Christopher¹^ORCID,Wilson Justin C.²^ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Regis University, USA

2. Air Force Academy, USA

Abstract

The motivation of this research (and also one of the nation’s cyber goals) is enhancing the resilience of Industrial Control Systems (ICS)/Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems against ransomware attacks. ICS and SCADA systems run some of the most important networks in the country: our critical infrastructure (i.e., water flow, power grids, etc.). Disruption of these systems causes confusion, panic, and in some cases loss of life. We propose a SCADA architecture that uses blockchain to help protect ICS data from ransomware. We focus on the historian. In a SCADA system, the historian collects events from devices in the control network for real-time and future analysis. We choose to use Ethereum and its Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus protocol. The other goal of this research focuses on the resilience of blockchain. There is very little research in protecting the blockchain itself. By performing encryption testing on an Ethereum private network, we explore how vulnerable blockchain is and discuss potential ways to make a blockchain client more resilient.

Funder

Air Force Office of Scientific Research

Publisher

Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

Subject

Artificial Intelligence,Control and Optimization,Computer Networks and Communications,Hardware and Architecture,Human-Computer Interaction

Link

https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3637553

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