Technical Paper Abstract
EtherNet/IP is positioned to have class-leading holistic protection against cybersecurity threats. The security effort began with TLS and DTLS applied to EtherNet/IP and has now progressed to include the holistic defense-in-depth of other aspects of EtherNet/IP. This paper discusses the protection of EDS files that are used to describe a CIP device. EDS files are intended to be shared publicly and installed by end users in tools from different vendors, as such they are an important aspect of an interconnected system of EtherNet/IP devices.
Although environments which use EDS files may vary, this paper uses common assumptions to envision likely threats and their severity. The paper explores the threats on EDS files, severity of those threats, and what common security techniques can be used to mitigate these threats.
Paper from the 2025 ODVA Industry Conference & 23rd Annual Meeting
Jack Visoky, Rockwell Automation
Joakim Wiberg, ODVA