Secure SCADA Protocol for the 21st Century (SSP21)
(Room 213B)
23 Jan 18
1:00 PM
-
2:30 PM
Tracks:
Cyber-securing the Grid
Most SCADA protocols have no security, but will continue to be used in ICS for many years to come. Bolt-on security extensions introduce additional complexity, expand attack surface, and compromise compatibility. SSP21 is an open source project that created a secure encapsulation layer for SCADA protocols. It fills a technology gap where existing technologies like TLS are not applicable, namely for serial communication channels and endpoints with limited processing capabilities. An open source SSP21 specification, reference implementation, outstation proxy, and test harness are publicly available to accelerate vendor adoption. SSP21 is led by San Diego, Gas & Electric and Automatak as a research task within California Energy Systems for the 21st Century (CES21). This presentation will allow the attendees to learn the following key points: • Details of the SSP21 secure encapsulation layer • Key differences between SSP21 and past efforts to create secure SCADA protocols • Key management in SSP21 systems • Guidelines for what asset owners should consider in vendor implementations • Guidelines for network architectures and deployments As SSP21 is adopted by ICS vendors, asset owners will have to navigate their way through a range of corporate IT or industrial control system solutions to help secure their SCADA networks. This presentation will help asset owners make their way through and determine the right path to meet their goals and objectives.