Exclusive research from Oak Ridge National Laboratory
RTACs typically function as mid-level data aggregators or protocol translators in cyber-physical system applications. They collect data from multiple hardware components such as a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and sensors in order to transmit the aggregated data to an Human Machine Interface (HMI) or a Historian. Due to this central role in the data path, RTACs represent a valuable target for cyber-induced events. In this presentation we will describe results from an experimental study that we conducted to assess the resilience of an RTAC’s performance while subjecting it to varying degrees of cyber stress. Our findings indicate that, under moderate to heavy cyber stress rates, the RTAC function experiences degradation. Specifically, an input sine-wave signal to the RTAC suffers a notable distortion on the output (RMSE > 25%), and an input On-Off pulse train also suffers a significant distortion (RMSE > 50%). This study is among the first methodical approaches towards assessing the significance and mitigation approaches towards improving the resilience of Operational Technology components.
