Communication Robustness Testing
What Is Communication Robustness Testing?
Communication robustness testing is a cybersecurity and reliability assessment designed to stress-test communication protocols, networks, and industrial control systems (ICS) under extreme conditions. The goal is to identify vulnerabilities, improve system stability, and ensure that mission-critical communications remain secure and operational—even in high-risk scenarios such as cyberattacks, high network loads, or unexpected failures.
With the increasing interconnectivity of Industrial IoT (IIoT), SCADA networks, and embedded systems, ensuring communication resilience is crucial to prevent disruptions, data corruption, and security breaches.
Industries That Rely on Robust Communication
- Manufacturing – Prevent downtime caused by unstable network communication between production systems.
- Energy & Utilities – Secure smart grids, power distribution systems, and remote monitoring networks.
- Transportation – Ensure resilience in rail, aviation, and autonomous vehicle communication.
- Healthcare – Protect the integrity of medical IoT (MIoT) devices and hospital networks.
- Defense & Aerospace – Strengthen military-grade communications against cyber threats.
How it works:
Key Testing Techniques
Our communication robustness assessment applies two primary techniques to ensure security, reliability, and performance:
Fuzzing: Finding Hidden Vulnerabilities in Protocols
What it does:
- Sends random, malformed, or unexpected data to communication protocols.
- Identifies vulnerabilities such as buffer overflows, parsing errors, and unexpected crashes.
- Helps improve protocol robustness and system security before attackers exploit weaknesses.
Why it matters:
Many industrial protocols were not originally designed with security in mind (e.g., Modbus, DNP3, BACnet, OPC UA). Attackers can exploit unhandled exceptions and memory vulnerabilities to disrupt communication or gain unauthorized access. Fuzzing proactively uncovers flaws that could be exploited by zero-day attacks.
Network Stress Testing: Evaluating Performance Under Pressure
What it does:
- Simulates high traffic loads, packet flooding, and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks.
- Identifies bottlenecks, response times, and failure points in network infrastructure.
- Assesses how firewalls, routers, and ICS components handle extreme conditions.
Why it matters:
Ensures networks can handle real-world cyberattacks and peak loads without failure. Identifies latency issues that can impact real-time control systems. Helps optimize bandwidth allocation and system redundancy.
Securing Industrial Communications
- Communication failures can disrupt entire industrial operations.
- Weak protocols are a prime target for cyber attackers.
- Downtime costs can reach millions in critical industries.