Desarrollo e implementación de un banco de pruebas para la ejecución de ciberataques y análisis de vulnerabilidades al protocolo de comunicación modbus TCP/IP en sistemas SCADA Usando un entorno simulado

Abstract

This paper presents the implementation of a test bench focused on evaluating the security of the Modbus TCP/IP protocol, widely used in SCADA systems within industrial infrastructures. Given the lack of security mechanisms in the Modbus protocol, such as authentication, encryption, or access control, it has been identified as a serious vulnerability to cyber threats. This has made the protocol a primary entry point for affecting the quality of industries that use this protocol, which is widely used for communication between devices in industrial environments. It focuses mainly on the design and implementation of a test bench that allows the simulation of a controlled industrial environment in which cyberattack scenarios on the ModBus TCP protocol are reproduced. From this environment, different offensive techniques are executed on industrial communication in order to observe their impact on the integrity, availability, and operation of the system. These simulations make it possible to identify weaknesses in the protocol, demonstrate the operational effects of attacks, and assess the level of exposure of SCADA systems. To do this, we first conduct a study of the attacks to be carried out, based not only on the state of the art but also on a second investigation focusing on the ModBus protocol. Secondly, the simulation tools to be used for the test bench are chosen, where the environments must reproduce the protocol correctly. In addition, it must be possible to implement it in an environment where it is possible to demonstrate a system similar to reality, and in which clear comparisons of the effects of the attacks can be made. Finally, the simulation and execution of the attacks are presented, visualizing their implementation in the system and how the impact occurs once they are executed on the test bench. Through the analysis of the results obtained, an understanding of the system's behavior in the face of threats is generated.