Author

Kyle Korman

Date of Award

Fall 12-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PHDCS)

First Advisor

Mark Spanier

Second Advisor

Patrick Engebretson

Third Advisor

Cody Welu

Abstract

This study investigated the network performance of introducing a Transport Layer Security (TLS) proxy to secure the Modbus protocol. To address the lack of security of the Modbus protocol, a proxy based on Python’s socket, ssl, and threading packages was developed and tested. Additional network latency generated by the inclusion of this proxy was assessed for TLS handshakes, as well as Modbus operations. Statistically significant figures were generated, proving that this device introduces overhead (though negligible in implementations). A more featured proxy leaves a path open for future research. The study showed an avenue that could remedy problems present in operational technology systems.

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