Scheduled for first application to the data collection server section of Hyundai Heavy Industries' power plant control system.

Domestic researchers have succeeded in developing unidirectional data transmission technology to enhance the internal security of control systems for critical national infrastructure, such as power plants.

The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), in collaboration with GeneTech ENG, has completed the development of unidirectional data transmission technology capable of fundamentally blocking external access to critical infrastructure where security and safety are essential.

Unidirectional data transmission means allowing only a one-way communication channel between the data sender and receiver, thereby blocking access from the outside.

The system developed by ETRI consists of: ▲ 'Physical single-link-based unidirectional data transmission technology' that fundamentally blocks external access to protect the security zone; ▲ 'Dedicated protocol-based unidirectional data transmission and reception technology' to ensure the security of transmitted data; and ▲ 'Forward Error Correction (FEC) technology' to guarantee the reliability of transmitted data.

This technology, capable of fundamentally responding to threats from outside critical infrastructure, is equipped with a transmission-only Small Optical Transceiver (SFP) in the transmission system and a reception-only SFP in the reception system.

Therefore, unlike systems where transmission and reception generally occur simultaneously, data is physically transmitted only in the receiving direction. In other words, since it does not allow any channels for data to flow in from the outside, it is possible to completely block external threats at the source.

In addition, to enhance the security of transmitted data, a unidirectional transmission message format based on a unidirectional dedicated communication protocol is applied so that external devices cannot interpret the contents of the transmission message, and transmission efficiency is achieved through the optimization of the transmission message, and multiple simultaneous communication channels are provided to provide multiple services simultaneously.

In addition, by using forward error correction technology to recover errors when data is transmitted, it has secured higher data reliability than control system security technology possessed by foreign countries.

This technology will be applied to the data extraction/collection solution and the data integration collection server section of the power plant control system that Hyundai Heavy Industries is constructing in South America and is scheduled for commissioning in the second half of the year.

Young-jun Heo, Project Leader (PL) of the System Security Research Group at ETRI’s Information Security Research Division, stated, “This technology will be applied to the security and data transmission fields of major domestic and international infrastructure, including the overseas engine power plants currently being built by Hyundai Heavy Industries, and we plan to expand it to public institutions, financial networks, and military information networks. We will strengthen the security of control systems for major infrastructure through technology transfer to domestic and international companies.”