Service Interface Segmentation for Industrial Automation Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automation systems face high administrative efforts in maintaining security and access settings due to complex security and access guidelines, especially in service-oriented architectures where differentiated security and access controls are required for both users and services, including safety-critical functions.
Innovation Solution
The method involves separating service-side interfaces in a client service architecture into safety-critical and safety-uncritical functions, hiding these from client applications through a client-side interface, which registers the service-side interfaces, allowing only authorized access and reducing the complexity of security and access control mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If differentiated security and access controls are implemented for safety-critical functions in service-oriented architectures, then security and data integrity are improved, but administrative effort and system complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The service interface is segmented into two distinct parts: a simplified client-side interface and a comprehensive service-side interface. The client-side interface presents only a simplified view to client applications, while the service-side interface contains the complete service functionality including safety-critical functions. This segmentation allows security controls to be implemented on the service-side without affecting client-side simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The service interface acts as an intermediary layer between client applications and the actual service implementation. It mediates access requests by client applications, applying security and access controls while presenting a simplified interface to clients. This intermediary structure enables differentiated security without requiring client applications to understand or manage complex security mechanisms.
2Reliability
If complex security and access guidelines are applied to protect safety-critical services, then unauthorized access is prevented, but administrative effort to maintain security settings increases
Solution Approach 1:
The service interface automatically manages security and access control for safety-critical functions without requiring manual configuration or maintenance by administrators. The interface inherently provides differentiated access control mechanisms that operate autonomously, reducing the time and effort needed to maintain security settings while ensuring protection against unauthorized access.
3Adaptability or versatility
If service-side interfaces are fully exposed to client applications, then complete functionality is available, but security-critical functions become vulnerable to unauthorized access
Solution Approach 1:
Different parts of the service interface have different security characteristics. The client-side interface portion has simplified access with lower security restrictions, while the service-side interface portion contains safety-critical functions with stricter access controls. This local differentiation of interface qualities allows complete functionality to be available while protecting sensitive operations through localized security measures.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
To grant authorization to use a function in an industrial automation system comprising multiple networked control units, functions of the automation system are provided by services from the control units. Within a client-service architecture, service interfaces are separated into interfaces that expose either safety-critical or safety-non-critical functions. These separated service-side interfaces are hidden from client applications by a client-side interface to which the service-side interfaces are registered. Functions provided by services can only be accessed via the client-side interface.