Securing the Industrial Internet of Things: A Comprehensive Digital Forensic Readiness Framework and Cybersecurity Approach

In the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), diversity exists in the operational and digital devices that work in tandem to deliver industry services. These systems, while ushering in efficiency, also introduce vulnerabilities that render them susceptible to cyberattacks. Consumer IoT breaches may bring to bear limited repercussions, however, the consequences of attacks on IIoT systems can be severe due to the critical nature of generated IIoT data. Ensuring the integrity of industrial systems requires the ongoing logging and analysis of post-incident data. This investigation focuses on digital forensic readiness (DFR) for the IIoT environment. It entails the identification of challenges, development of a meticulously tailored DFR framework for IIoT networks and its alignment with an attack model, and the formulation of a comprehensive data artifact template. These collective contributions will foster stronger IIoT cybersecurity, with the ultimate goal to effectively investigate IIoT attacks.