xSense: ICS/SCADA Sensor Integrity

The Problem

SCADA and ICS sensors are single points of failure. Stuxnet demonstrated that attackers can manipulate sensor readings to mask physical sabotage of critical infrastructure processes.

Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and SCADA networks manage power grids, water treatment plants, oil pipelines, and manufacturing processes. These systems rely on sensor readings that travel through single communication channels to Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs). An attacker who compromises the channel — or the sensor controller — can feed operators false readings.

Stuxnet proved this attack is not theoretical. The malware intercepted centrifuge speed sensors and replayed normal readings while the centrifuges were spinning to destruction. Operators saw nothing wrong until physical damage occurred. The fundamental flaw is that sensor integrity depends on a single trust path.

The Old Way

The PRIVATE.ME Solution

XorIDA splits each sensor reading across independent verifier nodes on separate network segments. No single compromised node can forge a valid reading. Typed integrity alerts catch tampering in real time.

Each sensor reading is split into N shares distributed to independent verifier nodes on isolated network segments. The verifier nodes operate on separate hardware, separate networks, and ideally separate physical locations. An attacker would need to simultaneously compromise K independent nodes to forge a reading.

Every share carries HMAC-SHA256 integrity verification. When the control system reconstructs a reading, it first verifies every share. A Stuxnet-style replay attack would fail because the replayed share would not match the HMAC of the current timestamp and sequence number. Typed alerts (TAMPER_DETECTED, REPLAY_DETECTED, SEQUENCE_GAP) immediately notify operators.

The New Way

How It Works

A four-stage pipeline: sensor reading capture, XorIDA split with sequence numbering, multi-network verifier distribution, and HMAC-verified threshold reconstruction with typed alerts.

Use Cases

Integration

import { splitSensorData, detectTamper } from '@private.me/scradasplit';

// Split sensor reading across 3 verifier nodes
const shares = await splitSensorData(
  sensorReading,
  ['verifier-net1', 'verifier-net2', 'verifier-net3']
);

// Detect tampering during reconstruction
const result = await detectTamper(collectedShares);
if (!result.ok) {
  // result.error.type: 'TAMPER_DETECTED' | 'REPLAY_DETECTED'
  alertOperator(result.error);
}

Security Properties

Verifiable Data Protection

Every operation in this ACI produces a verifiable audit trail via xProve. HMAC-chained integrity proofs let auditors confirm that data was split, stored, and reconstructed correctly — without accessing the data itself.

Ready to deploy xSense?

Talk to Ren, our AI sales engineer, or book a live demo with our team.

Ship Proofs, Not Source

xSense generates cryptographic proofs of correct execution without exposing proprietary algorithms. Verify integrity using zero-knowledge proofs — no source code required.

Use Cases