Jeffrey L. Hieb

Security Enhancements for Distributed Control Systems

Security enhancements for distributed control systems (DCSs) must be sensitive to operational issues, especially availability. This paper presents three security enhancements for DCSs that satisfy this requirement: end-to-end security for DCS protocol communications, role-based authorization to control access to devices and prevent unauthorized changes to operational parameters, and reduced operating system kernels for enhanced device security. The security enhancements have been implemented on a laboratory-scale testbed utilizing the DNP3 protocol, which is widely used in electrical power distribution systems. The test results show that the performance penalty for implementing the security enhancements is modest, and that the implemented mechanisms do not interfere with plant operations.

Tablet PCs in engineering mathematics courses at the J.B. Speed School of Engineering

In fall 2007, J.B. Speed School of Engineering at the University of Louisville joined the ranks of universities requiring the purchase of Tablet PCs for all new entering students. This article presents a description of how the Department of Engineering Fundamentals incorporated Tablet PCs into their instruction, a review of the literature pertaining to the use of Tablet PCs for instruction and preliminary survey results from the students in engineering mathematics courses at the end of the first year, after students had been exposed to Tablet PCs for 1 year. Results show that a large majority of students in the Department of Engineering Fundamentals agree that presentation of engineering mathematics material using the Tablet PCs and DyKnow software is a vast improvement over overhead projector, blackboard, or PowerPoint lectures and course packs. However, students are split as to whether the Tablet PC is something they actually want to use for their own note-taking. Finally, a plan for assessment of tablet impact on student learning is presented.

An Ontology for Identifying Cyber Intrusion Induced Faults in Process Control Systems

This paper presents an ontological framework that permits formal representations of process control systems, including elements of the process being controlled and the control system itself. A fault diagnosis algorithm based on the ontological model is also presented. The algorithm can identify traditional process elements as well as control system elements (e.g., IP network and SCADA protocol) as fault sources. When these elements are identified as a likely fault source, the possibility exists that the process fault is induced by a cyber intrusion. A laboratory-scale distillation column is used to illustrate the model and the algorithm. Coupled with a well-defined statistical process model, this fault diagnosis approach provides cyber security enhanced fault diagnosis information to plant operators and can help identify that a cyber attack is underway before a major process failure is experienced.

DESIGNING SECURITY-HARDENED MICROKERNELS FOR FIELD DEVICES

Distributed control systems (DCSs) play an essential role in the oper- ation of critical infrastructures. Perimeter eld devices are important DCS components that measure physical process parameters and per- form control actions. Modern eld devices are vulnerable to cyber at- tacks due to their increased adoption of commodity technologies and that fact that control networks are no longer isolated. This paper de- scribes an approach for creating security-hardened eld devices using operating system microkernels that isolate vital eld device operations from untrusted network-accessible applications. The approach, which is inuenced by the MILS and Nizza architectures, is implemented in a prototype eld device. Whereas, previous microkernel-based implemen- tations have been plagued by poor inter-process communication (IPC) performance, the prototype exhibits an average IPC overhead for pro- tected device calls of 64.59 s. The overall performance of eld devices is inuenced by several factors; nevertheless, the observed IPC overhead is low enough to encourage the continued development of the prototype.

Predicting performance in a first engineering calculus course: implications for interventions

At the University of Louisville, a large, urban institution in the south-east United States, undergraduate engineering students take their mathematics courses from the school of engineering. In the fall of their freshman year, engineering students take Engineering Analysis I, a calculus-based engineering analysis course. After the first two weeks of the semester, many students end up leaving Engineering Analysis I and moving to a mathematics intervention course. In an effort to retain more students in Engineering Analysis I, the department collaborated with university academic support services to create a summer intervention programme. Students were targeted for the summer programme based on their score on an algebra readiness exam (ARE). In a previous study, the ARE scores were found to be a significant predictor of retention and performance in Engineering Analysis I. This study continues that work, analysing data from students who entered the engineering school in the fall of 2012. The predictive validity of the ARE was verified, and a hierarchical linear regression model was created using math American College Testing (ACT) scores, ARE scores, summer intervention participation, and several metacognitive and motivational factors as measured by subscales of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. In the regression model, ARE score explained an additional 5.1% of the variation in exam performance in Engineering Analysis I beyond math ACT score. Students took the ARE before and after the summer interventions and scores were significantly higher following the intervention. However, intervention participants nonetheless had lower exam scores in Engineering Analysis I. The following factors related to motivation and learning strategies were found to significantly predict exam scores in Engineering Analysis I: time and study environment management, internal goal orientation, and test anxiety. The adjusted R2 for the full model was 0.42, meaning that the model could explain 42% of the variation in Engineering Analysis I exam scores.

Improving cybersecurity for Industrial Control Systems

The vulnerability of industrial control systems (ICS) to electronic intrusion and malware has recently been well documented in both the technical and popular press. Despite significant attention and much progress over the past 15 years, threats continue to evolve about as fast as preventive solutions. This paper reviews the root causes of ICS cybersecurity vulnerabilities, looks at some common defensive measures and then discusses a new approach to ICS field device cybersecurity, the security preprocessor. This device offers advanced communications security and role-based access control for legacy ICS installations, and utilizes a verified microkernel, with proven security properties.

A digraph model for risk identification and mangement in SCADA systems

Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are critical to todays industrial facilities and infrastructures. SCADA systems have evolved into large and complex networks of information systems and are increasingly vulnerable to various types of cyber-security risks. Identifying and managing risks in SCADA systems has become critical in ensuring the safety and reliability of these facilities and infrastructures. Most of the existing research on SCADA risk modeling and management has focused on probability-based or quantitative approaches. While probabilistic approaches have proven to be useful, they also suffer from common problems such as simplifying assumptions, large implementation costs, and inability to completely capture all the important aspects of risk. This paper proposes a digraph model for SCADA systems that allows formal, explicit representation of a SCADA system. A number of risk management methods are presented and discussed for a SCADA system based on the proposed model. The methods are applied to a chemical distillation application as a case study, and shows promising initial results in identifying areas of system vulnerability.

A security-hardened appliance for implementing authentication and access control in SCADA infrastructures with legacy field devices

Abstract Considerable progress has been made with regard to securing industrial control systems. However, security challenges remain for field devices, and these challenges are compounded by the presence of legacy field devices. This paper describes the design, implementation and performance of a security-hardened, bolt-on, security appliance for legacy field devices. The approach uses a microkernel-based architecture and employs Bloom filters to implement challenge-response authentication and role-based access control for in an in-line field device security pre-processor. The microkernel-based architecture isolates network-interacting software from security-enforcing components, reducing the size of the trusted computing base of the device. Bloom filters provide a fast and constant access time solution for authentication and authorization checks. An analysis of the impact of Bloom filter false positive rates is provided, and it is shown that the false positive rates can be made arbitrarily low. Experimental results are also presented for a prototype device. Security-related computations on the pre-processor take less than one millisecond to perform, indicating that the prototype and the underlying approach are well-suited to a variety of industrial control system environments. Penetration tests demonstrate that the device is robust to attack, except for certain denial-of-service attacks.

Using Bloom Filters to Ensure Access Control and Authentication Requirements for SCADA Field Devices

The critical infrastructure cannot operate without SCADA systems; this has made the task of securing SCADA systems a national security priority. While progress has been made in securing control networks, security at the field device level is still lacking. Field devices present unique security challenges and these challenges are compounded by the presence of legacy devices. This paper describes a technique that uses Bloom filters to implement challenge-response authentication and role-based access control in field devices. The approach, which is implemented in an in-line security pre-processor, provides for rapid and constant access check times. Experiments involving a prototype device demonstrate that the false positive rate can be kept arbitrarily low and that the real-time performance is acceptable for many SCADA applications.

Partnerships and Experience in Building STEM Pipelines

AbstractThe creation of a robust K–12 science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) pipeline has been widely identified as critical to the future of American global competitiveness. The J. B. Speed School of Engineering at the University of Louisville in Kentucky started a K–12 outreach program with the specific goal of increasing the number of students interested in, and capable of, studying STEM fields in college. To achieve this, Speed School developed and implemented a plan to create STEM pipelines in the local Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) system. The pipelines are currently comprised of selected elementary and middle schools that feed students to high schools with Project Lead the Way (PLTW) preengineering curricula. Elementary schools in the pipeline use the Engineering is Elementary (EiE) curriculum developed by the Boston Museum of Science (BMOS). Middle schools in the pipeline use the In the Middle of Engineering (IME) program, developed in collaboration with middle school science te...