Advancing the Micro-CI Testbed for IoT Cyber-Security Research and Education

Physical testbeds offer the ability to test out cybersecurity practices, which may be dangerous to implement in a real-life scenario. They also provide a means to educate students and researchers on effective cyber-defence practices. However, the majority of existing non-virtualised physical testbeds are costly, inaccessible, and are often location constrained. As such, modern education and research for control system security is becoming increasingly reliant on virtualised labs and tools. Any learning or research undertaken using these tools, however, is based around the limitations and characteristics of such tools, as well as any assumptions made by their developers. Virtual testbeds are not perfect. Additionally, the accuracy of data resulting from emulations and models may be further decreased if used outside of their intended usage scenario. As such, this paper presents a discussion on the effectiveness of physical testbeds over simulation approaches. In addition, an approach for the design and construction of a replicable, cost-effective testbed for cyber-security education and training is presented.