Tactical Data Diodes in Industrial Automation and Control Systems

In recent years, there has been an increased interest in the use of Data Diodes (also known as unidirectional gateways) within Industrial Automation and Control System (IACS) networks. As a result, there has been a substantial amount of confusion around where and how best to use this effective barrier technology. Although not a direct replacement for Firewalls, Data Diodes are well suited for specific tasks within IACS networks such as data replication, system state monitoring, remote backup management and patch management. This paper demystifies the use of Data Diodes within the IACS domain by detailing the process and challenges of building a simple Data Diode and applying it an IACS network.