This project evaluates the use of virtualisation in industrial test environments by implementing a virtualised testbed for simulating lateral movement. A reproducible testbed based on the Purdue Enterprise Reference Architecture was designed and implemented using KVM, QEMU, and Open vSwitch. Meanwhile, emulators simulate the behaviour of operational devices within the testbed, and the additional inclusion of an attack platform enables end-to-end observations of isolated simulations. An evaluation of the testbed demonstrated scalability and diversity, though it also noted some limitations surrounding its fidelity, reliability, and management. The findings suggest that while there is a use case for virtualisation to increase the depth and breadth of test environments, a completely virtualised environment lacks the fidelity to support attacks targeting low-level device functionality.

This work contributes to the security of industrial networks by evaluating the merits and drawbacks of a novel approach to developing tailored test environments. This application enhances users’ understanding of how attackers can proliferate throughout a network and the mitigating effects that defensive mechanisms can have.