Modbus is a communications protocol and de facto standard developed for use with Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), SCADA systems and other industrial devices. Owl’s Modbus Transfer Service (MBTS) is a software application that allows real-time data to be collected from industrial control systems within a plant and securely transfer it across the Owl data diode platforms to end-users (operations, production, maintenance, etc.) outside the security perimeter of the plant. The data diode protects the plant from cyber attacks while securely transferring data outside of the plant.
MBTS has two components, a “Master” and a “Slave”. The Master runs on the send side of the Owl platform and interfaces with industrial control systems in the plant, collecting register data from them and transferring it across the data diode to the destination side. The Slave runs on the receive side of the Owl platform, receiving the register data and providing it to any “Masters” operating outside the security perimeter of the plant. MBTS is a nonintrusive solution working within the existing architecture, becoming an additional Master collecting data and a new Slave to collect register data from. MBTS is supported on DiOTa, Owl’s single-purpose data diode, as well as the OPDS-1000, OPDS-100D and EPDS, Owl’s multi-purpose data diodes.