Assessing the impact of Modbus/TCP protocol attacks on critical infrastructure: WWTP case study

Cyberattacks pose significant risks to the safety and functionality of industrial control systems (ICS), particularly in critical sectors such as water. Understanding the implications of these cyberattacks is essential for evaluating their environmental and economic repercussions to develop defensiv...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Authors: Machaka, V. (Valentine)|||/items/bb7806c9-ddb4-4317-af75-de31942fbe86, Figueroa-Lorenzo, S. (Santiago)|||/items/e7ce025e-1e3d-449c-ad8f-64729a414fa5, Arrizabalaga-Juaristi, S. (Saioa)|||/items/8fd585fc-4135-44f8-803d-ddeb0605d98e, Hernantes-Apezetxea, J. (Josune)|||/items/f325c658-dca3-4e00-ab34-9afbcf2e3c77
Format: article
Publication Date:2025
Country:España
Institution:Universidad de Navarra
Repository:Dadun. Depósito Académico Digital de la Universidad de Navarra
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:dadun.unav.edu:10171/119631
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10171/119631
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:ICS security
Digital twins
Sensor networks
Adversary emulation
Thrat assessment
Critical infrastructure protection
id ES_7ae3d8e22cbbc1341ee9e2d16491dc3d
oai_identifier_str oai:dadun.unav.edu:10171/119631
network_acronym_str ES
network_name_str España
repository_id_str
spelling Assessing the impact of Modbus/TCP protocol attacks on critical infrastructure: WWTP case studyMachaka, V. (Valentine)|||/items/bb7806c9-ddb4-4317-af75-de31942fbe86Figueroa-Lorenzo, S. (Santiago)|||/items/e7ce025e-1e3d-449c-ad8f-64729a414fa5Arrizabalaga-Juaristi, S. (Saioa)|||/items/8fd585fc-4135-44f8-803d-ddeb0605d98eHernantes-Apezetxea, J. (Josune)|||/items/f325c658-dca3-4e00-ab34-9afbcf2e3c77ICS securityDigital twinsSensor networksAdversary emulationThrat assessmentCritical infrastructure protectionCyberattacks pose significant risks to the safety and functionality of industrial control systems (ICS), particularly in critical sectors such as water. Understanding the implications of these cyberattacks is essential for evaluating their environmental and economic repercussions to develop defensive strategies and implement security mechanisms. This study seeks to create a controlled and reproducible virtualised ICS testbed, enabling a risk-free environment for cybersecurity testing. Based on the IEC 62264 Industrial Automation Pyramid (IAP), the proposed virtual ICS testbed features a scalable multi-layered network architecture that supports multiple ICS protocols. This case study features an Operational Technology (OT) environment with a digital twin of a Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) developed using MATLAB/Simulink, OpenPLC and SCADA-LTS. The MITRE ATT&CK adversary emulation technique was utilised to assess the potential impacts of Modbus/TCP protocol attacks on a WWTP industrial process by targeting levels 1 and 2 of the IAP. The findings highlight the necessity for threat emulation to simulate real-world attack scenarios, vulnerability assessments, and operational impact analysis. Furthermore, establishing robust detection mechanisms guarantees that threats are identified early, minimising potential risks to operational integrity and environmental safety. In conclusion, the significance of creating ICS testbeds for cybersecurity testing is emphasised, ultimately suggesting directions for future research.Dadun. Depósito Académico Digital Universidad de Navarra20252025-01-0120252025-01-01journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:eu-repo/semantics/articletext/htmlhttps://hdl.handle.net/10171/119631reponame:Dadun. Depósito Académico Digital de la Universidad de Navarrainstname:Universidad de NavarraInglésengopen accesshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:dadun.unav.edu:10171/1196312026-06-21T12:47:57Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Assessing the impact of Modbus/TCP protocol attacks on critical infrastructure: WWTP case study
title Assessing the impact of Modbus/TCP protocol attacks on critical infrastructure: WWTP case study
spellingShingle Assessing the impact of Modbus/TCP protocol attacks on critical infrastructure: WWTP case study
Machaka, V. (Valentine)|||/items/bb7806c9-ddb4-4317-af75-de31942fbe86
ICS security
Digital twins
Sensor networks
Adversary emulation
Thrat assessment
Critical infrastructure protection
title_short Assessing the impact of Modbus/TCP protocol attacks on critical infrastructure: WWTP case study
title_full Assessing the impact of Modbus/TCP protocol attacks on critical infrastructure: WWTP case study
title_fullStr Assessing the impact of Modbus/TCP protocol attacks on critical infrastructure: WWTP case study
title_full_unstemmed Assessing the impact of Modbus/TCP protocol attacks on critical infrastructure: WWTP case study
title_sort Assessing the impact of Modbus/TCP protocol attacks on critical infrastructure: WWTP case study
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Machaka, V. (Valentine)|||/items/bb7806c9-ddb4-4317-af75-de31942fbe86
Figueroa-Lorenzo, S. (Santiago)|||/items/e7ce025e-1e3d-449c-ad8f-64729a414fa5
Arrizabalaga-Juaristi, S. (Saioa)|||/items/8fd585fc-4135-44f8-803d-ddeb0605d98e
Hernantes-Apezetxea, J. (Josune)|||/items/f325c658-dca3-4e00-ab34-9afbcf2e3c77
author Machaka, V. (Valentine)|||/items/bb7806c9-ddb4-4317-af75-de31942fbe86
author_facet Machaka, V. (Valentine)|||/items/bb7806c9-ddb4-4317-af75-de31942fbe86
Figueroa-Lorenzo, S. (Santiago)|||/items/e7ce025e-1e3d-449c-ad8f-64729a414fa5
Arrizabalaga-Juaristi, S. (Saioa)|||/items/8fd585fc-4135-44f8-803d-ddeb0605d98e
Hernantes-Apezetxea, J. (Josune)|||/items/f325c658-dca3-4e00-ab34-9afbcf2e3c77
author_role author
author2 Figueroa-Lorenzo, S. (Santiago)|||/items/e7ce025e-1e3d-449c-ad8f-64729a414fa5
Arrizabalaga-Juaristi, S. (Saioa)|||/items/8fd585fc-4135-44f8-803d-ddeb0605d98e
Hernantes-Apezetxea, J. (Josune)|||/items/f325c658-dca3-4e00-ab34-9afbcf2e3c77
author2_role author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Dadun. Depósito Académico Digital Universidad de Navarra
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv ICS security
Digital twins
Sensor networks
Adversary emulation
Thrat assessment
Critical infrastructure protection
topic ICS security
Digital twins
Sensor networks
Adversary emulation
Thrat assessment
Critical infrastructure protection
description Cyberattacks pose significant risks to the safety and functionality of industrial control systems (ICS), particularly in critical sectors such as water. Understanding the implications of these cyberattacks is essential for evaluating their environmental and economic repercussions to develop defensive strategies and implement security mechanisms. This study seeks to create a controlled and reproducible virtualised ICS testbed, enabling a risk-free environment for cybersecurity testing. Based on the IEC 62264 Industrial Automation Pyramid (IAP), the proposed virtual ICS testbed features a scalable multi-layered network architecture that supports multiple ICS protocols. This case study features an Operational Technology (OT) environment with a digital twin of a Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) developed using MATLAB/Simulink, OpenPLC and SCADA-LTS. The MITRE ATT&CK adversary emulation technique was utilised to assess the potential impacts of Modbus/TCP protocol attacks on a WWTP industrial process by targeting levels 1 and 2 of the IAP. The findings highlight the necessity for threat emulation to simulate real-world attack scenarios, vulnerability assessments, and operational impact analysis. Furthermore, establishing robust detection mechanisms guarantees that threats are identified early, minimising potential risks to operational integrity and environmental safety. In conclusion, the significance of creating ICS testbeds for cybersecurity testing is emphasised, ultimately suggesting directions for future research.
publishDate 2025
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025
2025-01-01
2025
2025-01-01
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv journal article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
dc.type.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/10171/119631
url https://hdl.handle.net/10171/119631
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
eng
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
language eng
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
dc.rights.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv text/html
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Dadun. Depósito Académico Digital de la Universidad de Navarra
instname:Universidad de Navarra
instname_str Universidad de Navarra
reponame_str Dadun. Depósito Académico Digital de la Universidad de Navarra
collection Dadun. Depósito Académico Digital de la Universidad de Navarra
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
_version_ 1869411473321623552
score 15,811543

Similar Items