KNOW-HOW
ExProtector
The world is changing. Smaller, connected computers are used more and
more around us. They are pushing out the old proprietary solutions in all
technical aspects of industry and even in our everyday lives. Wibu-Systems
offers manufacturers and users simple-to-use tools to protect their systems
and know-how.
The market for embedded systems continues to
grow. Controllers that used to rely on specific
and dedicated functions are being replaced
with powerful and versatile computers,
independent systems with the familiar traits
that we all know from desktop PCs. Besides
CPU and RAM, they come with flash memory
storage, sometimes displays, network ports,
and typically a number of USB ports. These
systems tend to operate with specialized
versions of common desktop operating systems
like Linux, Windows Embedded, or VxWorks,
with the newest kid on the block being
Android, which has become a favorite for many
small-scale systems. The routers that most
people use for internet access are one type
of such embedded systems, but smartphones
and tablet computers can also be considered
embedded devices. On a larger scale, modern
cars come with a multitude of similar systems.
In the manufacturing industry, machines work
with PLCs. Building controls, CCTV cameras,
automatic doors, traffic lights, smart meters,
and even airliner avionics rely on embedded
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systems. In essence, all these disparate
technologies use a similar architecture.
The devices need to be programmed,
maintained, and increasingly supervised, and
controlled from the outside. The interfaces used
for that purpose employ common standards:
Local access relies on USB or Bluetooth; in
networks, the systems can be reached by their
IP address, using Ethernet, WLAN, or industrial
field busses.
With all of these components increasingly
interconnected with each other and with
standard operating systems used for versatile
and powerful platforms, new avenues are also
open for attack and intrusion that the former
proprietary systems without network or USB
access did not offer potential perpetrators.
Targets
Attacks usually have one of two purposes:
the theft or the manipulation of software and
data. The victims can be the producers of the
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system or machine, or their users. The reasons
behind these attacks can be attributed to one
of four categories:
A Theft of the know-how of the plant manufacturer (control software, type of implementation, possible exploits)
B Theft of the know-how of the plant operator
(formulas, process parameters, log files)
C Manipulation of the operating data by the
system operator to hide any improper usage,
make illicit warranty claims, or tamper with
the records for pay-by-use models.
D Sabotage by disgruntled workers, competitors, or secret services. The highest-profile historical incident in this respect is the
Stuxnet attack.