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The Intelligent and Secure Factory Floor
Technology Briefing |
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TranscriptIn the near future, products and the plants that produce them will both be "intelligent." Products moving along a production line will know where they are, which steps they have already completed, and what still needs to happen in order for them to become finished products. Production facilities will coordinate their work steps and exchange information with one another. There will be no need for technicians to set foot in the production halls for servicing, with machinery inspections instead carried out remotely. In some circles, this is referred to as "Industry 4.0" - meaning industry of the fourth generation, following mechanization, electrification, and digitization. This will improve productivity and quality. To accomplish this, facilities will use a data network to communicate with one another, and even the products themselves will have to "log in." Human beings will use this network connection to control and monitor production, too - that is, to keep an eye on plant operations even when they aren't on the production floor. On top of this, there will be remote maintenance and remote software updates. However, for all these functions to pay off, one thing is indispensable: secure access that keeps industrial pirates and saboteurs out. Certainly, businesses can use a normal Internet connection for this form of data traffic, securing it through a "Virtual Private Network," or VPN for short. But not every VPN access is secure. Fortunately, a new development from Germany's Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft offers a way to ensure a particularly high level of security for such technology. These researchers have come up with a router system that offers secure VPN access. The system is a software-hardware kit that can be tailored to fit a customer's specific requirements. The process takes around four weeks to complete. The researchers integrate simple systems at the same time, such as sensors in the pharmaceuticals industry that report filling levels or mixing ratios to make sure these don't forward their information to unauthorized parties. The integrated solution protects companies from spies trying to hack their way into the network from off-site locations. And it also outwits data thieves trying to coax secrets out of routers and circuit boards on location. For example, a special film affixed to security-relevant casings immediately reports any attempts to unscrew the protective covering to access security-relevant data. The film is affixed to the router casing, or directly onto the circuit boards containing key control elements - such as microcontrollers, chips, diodes, and other security-critical processing units - and seals them shut at multiple points. If the router is switched off, all of the software it contains is stored in encrypted form. If it is in operation, though, it needs the decrypted program code. Each decryption key is a function of the properties of the protective film. And if these properties are changed - by tearing open or drilling into the film to reach the circuit boards, for instance - the film detects the attack in a few milliseconds and responds immediately by deleting all of its unencrypted, security-relevant data. Unauthorized intruders cannot get to the software. Data deletion is no problem for the business, however: All a company has to do is reinstall the software and affix a new protective film. Combining software and film creates an ideal security level. Going forward, secure communication software and hardware are fundamental to the evolution of production digitization and Industry 4.0. And increasingly, protection against espionage, sabotage and product piracy will be crucial to innovation and a strong competitive position. |
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