Embedasploit: A Pen-Test in a Box for Industrial Control Systems - Cyber
Abstract
Statement of Work: The proposed 3 years research will investigate, design and implement a novel framework, Embedasploit, which is capable of end-to-end penetration testing of industrial control systems. To accomplish this, Embedasploit design is comprised of three major components: • a fingerprinting component, which precisely identifies the software versions running on the endpoints of the industrial control system; • a vulnerability library, which catalogues known flaws in software likely to be found on the network under test; and • a flexible exploit payload system, which maintains persistence on a network by infecting multiple hosts and treating the resulting ensemble as a distributed system that can carry out attacker commands even if some nodes are disinfected. Objective: The PIs will investigate, design and implement a novel framework, Embedasploit, which is capable of end-to-end penetration testing of industrial control systems such as those found in Naval warships and modern automobiles. When introduced into a network, embedasploit will be able to automatically identify targets, exploit vulnerabilities, and deliver payloads that achieve persistent control over the target network. Approach: This proposal will develop Embedasploit, a framework for automated end-to-end penetration testing of industrial control systems such as those found in Naval warships and modern automobiles. Embedasploit consist of three elements, system & component fingerprinting, vulnerability libraries and flexible exploit generator. In initial investigation and implementation, these components will be developed manually. However, in order to adapt to new systems, The PIs additionally propose a set of techniques that will automate fingerprint generation, discover vulnerabilities, and create exploits using static and dynamic analysis of industrial control system binary firmware. To validate the techniques, they will test the system on the network of engine control units (ECUs) in a modern automobile. Overall Merit and ONR Mission/Relevance: The security of industrial control systems is of direct relevance to the Navy, as Naval warships use such systems to provide sensing and control of shipboard equipment. This research will result in a prototype implementation that can be used to assess the security of such systems automatically, helping to ensure the integrity and success of Naval operations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 12, 2016
- Source ID
- N000141512180
Entities
People
- Wenke Lee
Organizations
- Georgia Tech Research Corporation
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy