Manufacturing Security: Simulating Attacks in a Cyber-Physical Manufacturing Range

Abstract

As manufacturers increasingly adopt automation and other advanced technologies, manufacturing equipment becomes more vulnerable to cyber-physical attacks. Cyber-physical attacks leverage cyber and physical pathways to compromise machine components, leading to potential system-wide infection and physical damage. Due to many unknowns about these attacks and their effects, manufacturers need a controlled and safe environment to research the different possibilities. A Cyber-Physical Manufacturing Range consisting of both a virtual and physical component is key to demystifying the potential consequences of attacks. This presentation will show how the virtual component of a Cyber-Physical Manufacturing Range can be used to demonstrate an attack. This virtual component consists of a Digital Twin Ecosystem built using a game engine platform and a multi-fidelity security layer added to that Digital Twin. Incorporating varying degrees of granularity enables the Digital Twin to capture different types of attacks. By replicating attack effects, researchers can begin to understand the various attack vectors and create defense mechanisms based on this knowledge, leading to a safer and more secure manufacturing environment.