Analysis of the Interaction Between Safety and Security Demonstrated on a Mobile Robot and a Production Network

Abstract

The 4 th Industrial Revolution increases connectivity within the production environment by transforming traditional automation systems to cyber-physical production systems. This conversion impacts intralogistics of a factory: Intelligent and interconnected transport systems, in the form of autonomous mobile robots, are increasingly integrated into the production process. This enhanced connectivity expands the attack surface of production facilities for cyber-attacks. In addition, the interconnection of safety and security poses a risk for people working on machines or around mobile robots in case of an attack. In order to highlight the interaction between safety and security, this study discusses the requirements of a mobile robot from both perspectives. Verification in practice is achieved by performing a penetration test on a test environment of a production network with an integrated mobile robot. The discussion of the detected vulnerabilities outlines the hazards of operating a mobile robot in an interconnected production network, causing a loss of Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability. Finally, these results are providing a basis for trustworthy mobile robotics implementations in production plants.