Secure Data Bridging in Industry 4.0: An OPC UA Aggregation Approach for Including Insecure Legacy Systems

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2601.10929v1
• Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2026 01:18:31 GMT
• Title: Secure Data Bridging in Industry 4.0: An OPC UA Aggregation Approach for Including Insecure Legacy Systems
• Authors: Dalibor Sain, Thomas Rosenstatter, Olaf Saßnick, Christian Schäfer, Stefan Huber,
• Abstract summary: The increased connectivity of industrial networks has led to a surge in cyberattacks.<n>Modern Industry 4.0 technologies, such as OPC UA, offer enhanced resilience against these threats.<n>Many systems do not yet implement these technologies, or only partially.<n>This paper reviews existing solutions to address this challenge by analysing their approaches, advantages, and limitations.
• Score: 0.4675863182439614
• License: http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/
• Abstract: The increased connectivity of industrial networks has led to a surge in cyberattacks, emphasizing the need for cybersecurity measures tailored to the specific requirements of industrial systems. Modern Industry 4.0 technologies, such as OPC UA, offer enhanced resilience against these threats. However, widespread adoption remains limited due to long installation times, proprietary technology, restricted flexibility, and formal process requirements (e.g. safety certifications). Consequently, many systems do not yet implement these technologies, or only partially. This leads to the challenge of dealing with so-called brownfield systems, which are often placed in isolated security zones to mitigate risks. However, the need for data exchange between secure and insecure zones persists. This paper reviews existing solutions to address this challenge by analysing their approaches, advantages, and limitations. Building on these insights, we identify three key concepts, evaluate their suitability and compatibility, and ultimately introduce the SigmaServer, a novel TCP-level aggregation method. The developed proof-of-principle implementation is evaluated in an operational technology (OT) testbed, demonstrating its applicability and effectiveness in bridging secure and insecure zones.

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