A Prescriptive Framework for Securing Third-Party Remote Access to Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) on an Automotive Assembly Line Using Four Phased Zero Trust Model

Pradhan, Souvick (2025) A Prescriptive Framework for Securing Third-Party Remote Access to Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) on an Automotive Assembly Line Using Four Phased Zero Trust Model. Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

This dissertation investigates a small and practical Zero Trust remote-access framework for PLC environments, where timing rules and vendor workflows are very strict. Traditional VPNs are still used for this purpose, but they create broad trust, unpredictable delay and weak access boundaries. This study designs a lightweight architecture that uses a UDP tunnel built in Python 3.10 together with a Next.js controller for identity and configuration. The framework follows repeated identity checks and narrow permission bundles, so each PLC action is verified before it is allowed. A case study and simple performance tests show that the proposed model creates lower delay than a VPN and behaves more consistently than a flexible micro segmentation Zero Trust model. The results suggest that Zero Trust can work in PLC settings when the design stays minimal. The work also highlights limitations and gives directions for follow-up research in more realistic industrial conditions.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Supervisors:	Name Email McLaughlin, Eugene UNSPECIFIED
Subjects:	Q Science > QA Mathematics > Computer software > Computer Security T Technology > T Technology (General) > Information Technology > Computer software > Computer Security T Technology > TK Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering > Telecommunications > Computer networks > Internet of things
Divisions:	School of Computing > Master of Science in Cyber Security
Depositing User:	Ciara O'Brien
Date Deposited:	04 Sep 2026 09:12
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2026 09:12
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/9818

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