Man-In-The-Middle Attack Against Modbus TCP Illustrated with Wireshark

Though attacks on the industrial control system (ICS) and their protocols are not a new occurrence, recent years have highlighted a growing trend in such attacks. To make matters worse, cyber defenders have also dealt with a slow migration to more secure ICS protocols due to costs associated with equipment downtime. With the increase in attacks and the slow migration to more secure ICS protocols, it is crucial for cyber defenders to be able to quickly set up labs to mimic and observe how potential attacks on the ICS network function so that necessary defenses and detection mechanisms can be put in place. This paper lays out how to setup a lab with multiple virtual machines and ICS software that can observe a Master workstation controlling a PLC. First, Wireshark will be used to illustrate and compare normal Modbus TCP communications between the Master and PLC workstations. Wireshark will then be used to demonstrate and compare a MITM attack with an Ettercap filter that manipulates the Modbus TCP communications against both workstations.