Topic C56-01 - IdentiPHYber

C56-01a-273183 The convergence of operational technology and information technology systems has left many critical infrastructure deployments vulnerable to cyber-attack. Defensive guidelines from organizations such as the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology call for the implementation of device authentication. However, there are no technologies currently available to provide device authentication at the network physical layer, especially on fiber optic networks. The IdentiPHYber effort intends to provide a solution to this capability gap by exploiting intrinsic physical features of device communication signals. This technique is often referred to as fingerprinting in an effort to compare the technique to the use of human fingerprints for authentication purposes. This is essentially a classification problem that will be solved via machine learning techniques, specifically deep learning. The IdentiPHYber Phase I effort will focus on proving the technical feasibility of physical layer device authentication on fiber optic networks. The first step in this process will be the development of a high data rate sensor system. Then, a data collection campaign will be under- taken to enable development of a corresponding fingerprinting/authentication algorithm. Using the data from this campaign as a starting point, a low data rate sensor system will be designed to reduce the overall size, weight, power, and cost of future prototype systems and to enable integration with fiber optic switches. A second data collection campaign with the low data rate sensor will then be executed for verification and validation of the technique. Finally, an initial design for potential Phase II prototypes will be developed. The prototypes will be constructed during the Phase II effort and will be a passive, small form factor, embedded device capable of interfacing with the network to capture physical layer device signals as well as network packet data. There is also the intent to publish any novel results that are obtained during the Phase I effort. The IdentiPHYber effort will result in a commercial product line capable of non-intrusively adding physical layer authentication to operational technology fiber optic networks.