Challenges in Remote Industrial Automation Systems and their Mitigation Using Encrypted Overlay Networks

Remote industrial automation systems are now essential in modern industries. They enable real-time monitoring and control of plant operations through technologies like PLCs, IoT platforms, and cloud-based dashboards. However, adding remote connectivity introduces significant cybersecurity challenges. These challenges include unauthorized access, data interception, malware attacks, and weaknesses in the network. This paper examines the cybersecurity issues in remote industrial systems and proposes a secure framework that uses encrypted overlay networks. The implementation includes PLC, NodeRED, Telegraf, InfluxDB, and Grafana for real-time data collection and display. Secure communication is achieved using overlay networking methods. The proposed system ensures data integrity, confidentiality, and safe remote access while preventing direct exposure of industrial networks to the internet.