Modbus eavesdropper translates SCADA protocols to IT

Article By : B+B SmartWorkx

Rather than overwhelm the IT/OT system with data, SmartSwarm 351 collects, filters and aggregates raw data through simple user configuration.

B+B SmartWorkx has introduced the SmartSwarm351 Modbus eavesdropper that recognises and extracts data from existing Modbus SCADA system, transforming it into actionable information and then presenting to IT systems—all without interfering with the Modbus Master.

SmartSwarm 351 discovers and maps the network, analyses message exchanges between the existing OT master and slave devices and uses the information to build a comprehensive picture of the status of the underlying plant. In near real time, Modbus data is delivered to IT/OT systems that normally would not see SCADA information. Unlike alternatives, this is accomplished without disrupting the Modbus Master and SCADA network communication. Mission critical process control systems are completely undisturbed. Connecting to enterprise applications by a local Ethernet connection or an internal cellular modem, the gateway can switch between these connections at any time, providing redundancy.

Rather than overwhelm the IT/OT system with meaningless data, SmartSwarm 351 collects, filters, enriches and aggregates raw data through simple user configuration, requiring no programming. Using the newest IoT protocols, MQTT topics and JSON; payload formats securely construct the data so it is easily consumable by upstream IT applications.

With SmartSwarm 351, all inbound WAN connections are protected by an internal firewall. A second Ethernet port provides the local LAN connection. OpenVPN tunneling is supported. Outbound connections to the SmartWorx Hub zero-touch remote configuration tool and the remote MQTT broker are authenticated and encrypted using TLS, with certificate authentication of the host and certificate provision by the gateway.

SmartSwarm 351 is the first product released using the SmartSwarm OSP, a software framework designed to power edge-of-the network Intelligent IIoT gateways. The OSP makes use of distributed micro-services architecture to support Rapid Distributed Applications Development in one of many languages, including C++, Java and Python.