A taxonomy of key management schemes of SCADA systems

Abstract

The communication messages exchanged between industrial plant devices contain sensitive data. Secure communication plays a vital role in securing the communications of industrial devices. A key management mechanism is necessary for automation systems to handle the crypto keys used for secure communication. This paper focuses on presenting a framework for evaluating key management schemes specific to SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) requirements. It also aims to present a detailed review of key management schemes proposed for SCADA systems. The review considered the symmetric, asymmetric, and hybrid schemes, quantum key distribution, and blockchain-based key management schemes of SCADA systems. The paper outlines the existing SCADA key management schemes highlighting the benefits, limitations, and future scope. The future directions give the research gaps of SCADA key management schemes and possible research scope in the key management domain for industrial system security.