A novel approach detection for IIoT attacks via artificial intelligence

Abstract The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is a paradigm that enables the integration of cyber-physical systems in critical infrastructures, such as power grids, water distribution networks, and transportation systems. IIoT devices, such as sensors, actuators, and controllers, can provide various benefits, such as performance optimization, efficiency improvement, and remote management. However, these devices also pose new security risks and challenges, as they can be targeted by malicious actors to disrupt the normal operation of the infrastructures they are connected to or to cause physical damage or harm. Therefore, it is essential to develop effective and intelligent solutions to detect and prevent attacks on IIoT devices and to ensure the security and resilience of critical infrastructures. In this paper, we present a comprehensive analysis of the types and impacts of attacks on IIoT devices based on a literature review and a data analysis of real-world incidents. We classify the attacks into four categories: denial-of-service, data manipulation, device hijacking, and physical tampering. We also discuss the potential consequences of these attacks on the safety, reliability, and availability of critical infrastructures. We then propose an expert system that can detect and prevent attacks on IIoT devices using artificial intelligence techniques, such as rule-based reasoning, anomaly detection, and reinforcement learning. We describe the architecture and implementation of our system, which consists of three main components: a data collector, a data analyzer, and a data actuator. We also present a table that summarizes the main features and capabilities of our system compared to existing solutions. We evaluate the performance and effectiveness of our system on a testbed consisting of programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and IIoT protocols, such as Modbus and MQTT. We simulate various attacks on IIoT devices and measure the accuracy, latency, and overhead of our system. Our results show that our system can successfully detect and mitigate different types of attacks on IIoT devices with high accuracy and low latency and overhead. We also demonstrate that our system can enhance the security and resilience of critical infrastructures by preventing or minimizing the impacts of attacks on IIoT devices.