Master
Technical Informatics
part-time
Duration: July 2015 to December 2016
With the rapid growth of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), the risk of misuse is also increasing. Recent incidents not only show how important it is to secure the Industrial Internet, but also to be constantly prepared for new threats. Security is the biggest hurdle for decision-makers in industry when introducing IIoT solutions.
In order to meet the increased requirements in areas such as mechatronics, plant and mechanical engineering, proactivity and flexibility in production and downstream processes, such as maintenance, are critical to success. Even today, adaptation often requires cost-intensive maintenance work on site.
In most cases, the affected devices are highly resource-limited, embedded systems that - unlike PCs - do not usually have an operating system. In addition, sensors and actuators are only networked to a limited extent. Updating the firmware is often associated with uncertainty or circumstances and is therefore usually avoided. However, this often means that security gaps or vulnerabilities discovered over time are not rectified and therefore jeopardise the overall system. The aim of the SecurIoTy project is to raise the security level of this approach and protect its main components, such as gateways and wireless sensor nodes, from attacks via a secure firmware over-the-air update. The project is being carried out in a consortium with Viennese companies and is funded by the Vienna Business Agency as part of the "Pro Industry 2015" funding programme. The project parts taken over by FH Campus Wien include the consideration of security-relevant aspects.