Secure vertical integration for building automation networks

Abstract

In recent years, building automation systems have become a widely accepted technology with dedicated but stand-alone solutions existing for a variety of application domains. Data exchange across domain borders is - if at all - realized by interconnecting these networks at the management level. Thus, the next step is to realize end-to-end data exchange already at the device level. The resulting vertically integrated systems can host domain-spanning applications and make way for secured end-to-end communication among any group of devices. This is considered especially important if security-relevant information shall be exchanged. This paper presents an adaptive security layer protocol architecture that is capable of operating on heterogenous networks. The modular framework is designed to support virtually any combination of network protocols and applications that meet the requirements best. Through a plugin-based approach, easy extension and reuse of existing protocol mechanisms is achieved.