Open-Source Robotics and Process Control Cookbook

CHAPTER 5

Encryption and Data Security Primer

5.1 Introduction

It is impossible to build a trustworthy control network unless the topic of security is addressed and designed into the product from the beginning. Whether you are designing a system for your own use, or for installation into some industrial or commercial application, you will need to consider how to protect it against some level of attack from the outside world, and how to protect recorded data from theft or forgery.

Although data security involves physical, procedural and other holistic aspects, most security techniques in consumer and commercial applications are centered around adding encryption to existing protocols and data formats. This is primarily because encryption is cheap, ...