Welcome to the CyberStrike Lab Workbook¶

Introduction¶

These labs have been developed to mimic a real-world scenario in which a single-axis, utility-scale photovoltaic system is generating power. A simulated distributed energy resource inverter is included with has SunSpec Modbus and IEEE 2030.5 communication interfaces. The single-axis tracking system includes a Modbus control system. Site perimeter defenses are not included but can be subverted through several means.

The labs listed below will walk through various exercises to demonstrate how an attacker can gather information, use that information to identify vulnerabilities or gather additional sensitive information, interrupt/control the process, and finally how proactive measures can prevent such attacks.

The cybersecurity labs are based on several open-source reports and resources including:

1. 2015 and 2016 Ukraine cyber events ^{1 2}
2. DEF CON talk on solar gateway hacking ³
3. Sandia and INL pen testing experience with DER and solar equipment ⁴
4. sPower Attack –Vulnerable router targeted at national firm. ⁵
5. Known solar vulnerabilities
   • Plaintext password storage in stand-alone system for the monitoring and management of local and remote maintenance of small size PV ⁶
   • SMA Solar Technology AG Sunny WebBox ⁷
   • Solar Controls’ WATTConfig M Software ⁸
   • IBC Solar ⁹
   • Schneider Electric Conext ComBox ¹⁰

Labs¶

Lab 1: Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT)
Lab 2: Exploiting DER Interfaces
Lab 3: DER Firmware and Cryptography
Lab 4: Denial of Service (DoS)
Lab 5: Web Exploitation
Lab 6: Vulnerable API and Smart Phone App Security
Lab 7: Replay and Machine-in-the-Middle (MITM) Attacks
Lab 8: Preventing Attacks via Encryption and Firewall Rules

The labs require a substantial amount of time, so please work with your instructor to determine which of the labs should be completed in your class. Here are some lab suggestions based Distributed Energy Resource (DER) ecosystem roles:

Who	Time	Lab 1	Lab 2	Lab 3A	Lab 3B	Lab 4	Lab 5	Lab 6	Lab 7	Lab 8
		Reconn	DER Interfaces	Crypto	Code Signing	DoS Attack	Web Exploits	APIs + Apps	Reply/MitM	Security Improvements
		25 min	15 min	35 min	25 min	30 min	30 min	60 min	45 min	40 min
Government	3h5m	X	X			X	X		X	X
Utility	2h45m	X	X		X	X	X		X
DER Vendor	3h55m		X	X	X		X	X	X	X
DER Aggregator/Operator	3h5m	X	X			X	X		X	X
C-Suite, e.g., CEO, CFO, CISO	3h5m	X	X			X	X		X	X
Online Students	4h50m	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X

Usage¶

Use the links on the left to navigate to the desired exercise.