• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.267-271
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• 2014

Nuclear power plant data networks and their associated safety systems are being modernized to include many information technology (IT) networks and applications. Along with the advancement of plant data networks (PDN), instrumentation and control systems are being upgraded with modern digital, microprocessor-based systems. However, nuclear PDN is confronted significant side-effects, which PDN is exposed to prevalent cyber threats typically found in IT environments. Therefore, cyber security vulnerabilities and possibilities of cyber incidents are dramatically increased in nuclear PDN. Consequently, it should be designed fully ensuring the PDN meet all reliability, performance and security requirements in order to overcome the disadvantages raised from adaption of IT technology. In this paper, we provide technical security criteria should be used in design and evaluation of secure PDN. It is believed PDN, which is designed and operated along with these technical security critera, effectively protect against possible outside cyber threats.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.780-787
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• 2018

This article presents a security module based on a field programmable gate array (FPGA) to mitigate man-in-the-middle cyber attacks. Nowadays, the FPGA is considered to be the state of the art in nuclear power plants I&C systems due to its flexibility, reconfigurability, and maintainability of the FPGA technology; it also provides acceptable solutions for embedded computing applications that require cybersecurity. The proposed FPGA-based security module is developed to mitigate information-gathering attacks, which can be made by gaining physical access to the network, e.g., a man-in-the-middle attack, using a cryptographic process to ensure data confidentiality and integrity and prevent injecting malware or malicious data into the critical digital assets of a nuclear power plant data communication system. A model-based system engineering approach is applied. System requirements analysis and enhanced function flow block diagrams are created and simulated using CORE9 to compare the performance of the current and developed systems. Hardware description language code for encryption and serial communication is developed using Vivado Design Suite 2017.2 as a programming tool to run the system synthesis and implementation for performance simulation and design verification. Simple windows are developed using Java for physical testing and communication between a personal computer and the FPGA.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.1392-1397
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• 2018

Nuclear power plants(NPPs) are protected as core facilities managed by major countries. Applying general IT technology to facilities of NPPs, the proportion of utilizing the digitized resources for the rest of the assets except for the existing installed analog type operating resources is increasing. Using the network to control the IT assets of NPPs can provide significant benefits, but the potential vulnerability of existing IT resources can lead to significant cyber security breaches that threaten the entire NPPs. In this paper, we analyze the nuclear cyber security vulnerability regulatory requirements, characteristics of existing vulnerability scanners and their requirements and investigate commercial and free vulnerability scanners. Based on the proposed application method, we can improve the efficiency of checking the network security vulnerability of NPPs when applying vulnerability scanner to NPPs.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.25-36
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• 2023

Nuclear power plants have recognized the importance of nuclear cybersecurity. Based on regulatory guidelines and security-related standards issued by regulatory agencies around the world including IAEA, NRC, and KINAC, nuclear operating organizations and related systems manufacturing organizations, design companies, and regulatory agencies are considering methods to prepare for nuclear cybersecurity. Cryptographic algorithms have to be developed and applied in order to meet nuclear cybersecurity requirements. This paper presents methodologies for validating cryptographic algorithms that should be continuously applied at the critical control system of I&C in NPPs. Through the proposed schemes, validation programs are developed in the PLC, which is a critical system of a NPP's I&C, and the validation program is verified through simulation results. Since the development of a cryptographic algorithm validation program for critical digital systems of NPPs has not been carried out, the methodologies proposed in this paper could provide guidelines for Cryptographic Module Validation Modeling for Control Systems in NPPs. In particular, among several CMVP, specific testing techniques for ECB mode-based block ciphers are introduced with program codes and validation models.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.839-847
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• 2011

Instrumentation & Control(I&C) System in NPP(Nuclear Power Plant) plays a important role as the brain of human being, it performs protecting, controling and monitoring safety operation of NPP. Recently, the I&C system is digitalized as digital technology such as PLC, DSP, FPGA. The different aspect of digital system which use digital communication to analog system is that it has potential vulnerability to cyber threat in nature. Possibility that digital I&C system is defected by cyber attack is increasing day by day. The result of cyber attack can be adverse effect to safety function in NPP. Therefore, I&C system required cyber security counter-measures that protect themselves from cyber threat efficiently and also cyber security design should be taken into consideration at concept stage in I&C system development process. In this study, we proposed the digital asset analysis method for cyber security assessment of I&C system design in NPP and we performed digital asset analysis of I&C system by using the proposed method.

• Asia-pacific Journal of Multimedia Services Convergent with Art, Humanities, and Sociology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.285-296
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• 2018

Among many hacking attempts carried out in the past few years, the cyber-attacks that could have caused a national-level disaster were the attacks against nuclear facilities including nuclear power plants. The most typical one was the Stuxnet attack against Iranian nuclear facility and the cyber threat targeting one of the facilities operated by Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co., Ltd (Republic of Korea; ROK). Although the latter was just a threat, it made many Korean people anxious while the former showed that the operation of nuclear plant can be actually stopped by direct cyber-attacks. After these incidents, the possibility of cyber-attacks against industrial control systems has become a reality and the security for these systems has been tightened based on the idea that the operations by network-isolated systems are no longer safe from the cyber terrorism. The ROK government has established a realistic control systems defense concept and in the US, the relevant authorities have set up several security frameworks to prepare for the threats. This paper presented various cyber security attack cases and their scenarios against control systems, along with the analysis of countermeasures for them. Though this task, we attempt to identify the items that need to be considered when designing a domestic security framework to improve security and secure stability.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2022.05a
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• pp.187-188
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• 2022

As information processing technology develops with the trend of the times, the possibility of cyber threats to nuclear facilities is increasing. In the 2000s, there was a growing perception that cyberattacks on nuclear facilities were needed, and in fact, a cybersecurity regulatory system for nuclear power plants began to be established to prepare for cyberattacks. In Korea, in order to prepare for cyber threats, in 2013 and 2014, the Act on Protection and Radiation Disaster Prevention, Enforcement Decree, and Enforcement Rules of Nuclear Facilities, etc., and notices related to the Radioactive Disaster Prevention Act were revised. In 2015, domestic nuclear operators prepared information system security regulations for each facility in accordance with the revised laws and received approval from the Nuclear Safety Commission for implementation of information system security regulations divided into seven stages. In 2019, a special inspection for step-by-step implementation was completed, and since 2019, the cybersecurity system of operators has been continuously inspected through regular inspections. In this paper, we present some measures to build improved training to suit the steadily revised inspection of the nuclear facility cybersecurity system to counter cyber threats to the ever-evolving nuclear facilities.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information Security & Cryptology
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.1077-1088
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• 2019

As the cyber threats of nuclear power plants become more necessary to systematically prepare against the cyber attack, the international community and the domestic government are urged to apply proper security controls for Critical Digital Assets (CDA) through cyber security regulatory guidelines. In this study, we suggests the application of security controls to develop the regulatory requirements of the graded approach through the analysis of domestic and foreign cyber security regulation guidelines and best practices for digital assets directly related to nuclear accidents. In order to apply the regulatory requirements based on the consequence(impact of infringement) of the regulated facility, which is a basic consideration of the graded approach, we will classify two methods and describe details of each method. By reanalyzing existing security controls, it is introduced that the method of demanding digital assets directly related to accident to enhance security controls required for existing CDA or develop additional security controls and requiring minimum security controls for CDA that are not directly related to accident.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.729-737
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• 2015

Wireless communication technologies, especially smartphones, have become increasingly common. Wireless technology is widely used in general industry and this trend is also expected to grow with the development of wireless technology. However, wireless technology is not currently applied in any domestic operating nuclear power plants (NPPs) because of the highest priority of the safety policy. Wireless technology is required in operating NPPs, however, in order to improve the emergency responses and work efficiency of the operators and maintenance personnel during its operation. The wired telephone network in domestic NPPs can be simply connected to a wireless local area network to use wireless devices. This design change can improve the ability of the operators and personnel to respond to an emergency situation by using important equipment for a safe shutdown. IEEE 802.11 smartphones (Wi-Fi standard), Internet Protocol (IP) phones, personal digital assistant (PDA) for field work, notebooks used with web cameras, and remote site monitoring tablet PCs for on-site testing may be considered as wireless devices that can be used in domestic operating NPPs. Despite its advantages, wireless technology has only been used during the overhaul period in Korean NPPs due to the electromagnetic influence of sensitive equipment and cyber security problems. This paper presents the electromagnetic verification results from major sensitive equipment after using wireless devices in domestic operating NPPs. It also provides a solution for electromagnetic interference/radio frequency interference (EMI/RFI) from portable and fixed wireless devices with a Wi-Fi communication environment within domestic NPPs.

• Journal of Internet of Things and Convergence
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.9-19
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• 2021

The data mining design incorporated with big data based cloud computing system is investigated for the nuclear terrorism prevention where the conventional physical protection system (PPS) is modified. The networking of terror related bodies is modeled by simulation study for nuclear forensic incidents. It is needed for the government to detect the terrorism and any attempts to attack to innocent people without illegal tapping. Although the mathematical algorithm of the study can't give the exact result of the terror incident, the potential possibility could be obtained by the simulations. The result shows the shape oscillation by time. In addition, the integration of the frequency of each value can show the degree of the transitions of the results. The value increases to -2.61741 in 63.125th hour. So, the terror possibility is highest in later time.