Cryptography applied to industrial environments: A systematic review

Abstract

Context: Industrial control systems are connected to specific networks that enable their administration both on-site and remotely. This interconnection requires specific protection mechanisms to ensure the integrity of the equipment and plant personnel. Cryptography serves as a fundamental mechanism for safeguarding the processed, stored, and transmitted information. Objectives: The objective is to present the background of communication encryption among industrial automation systems. This will pave the way for implementing an additional layer of security on these devices present in the Critical Infrastructures of the National Defense System in the future. Methods: The detailed description includes the creation and execution of a protocol that establishes a set of questions and a search procedure. Subsequently, filters are applied to select relevant articles. Finally, an analysis is conducted to address the posed questions. Results: The application of the aforementioned steps has revealed technological advancements that tackle this problem, which are elucidated in this work. Conclusions: Cryptography has already been implemented in industrial environments, emphasizing the need to define an innovative approach that caters to the distinctive characteristics of operational environments, thereby facilitating its adoption.