Practical Industrial Internet of Things Security

Interoperability – proprietary versus open standards

As shown in Figure 5.3, in traditional industrial systems, the control networks commonly connect with field devices using proprietary protocols. For plant information systems (data historian, asset manager, manufacturing execution systems, and so on), these protocols have evolved into Ethernet- and standard IP-based variants, typically to satisfy the needs of a specific industry vertical. Being nonstandard with bespoke design, these fieldbus technologies were considered less vulnerable to intrusion and attacks. Even though it may sound like a myth in the post-Stuxnet era, these protocols are still running in traditional industrial networks with hardly any built-in security controls.

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