INFORMATION PROTECTION IN AUTOMATED SYSTEMS BASED ON A CONCEPTUAL MODEL WITH FORMALIZED EFFICIENCY EVALUATION

Abstract

In the context of increasing cyber threats and the implementation of digital technologies in production process management, automated systems are increasingly becoming targets of attacks, raising the issue of ensuring information security at critical levels. This is particularly relevant for SCADA, IIoT, and MES environments, where the use of isolated solutions without a unified security architecture leads to vulnerabilities and reduced effectiveness in incident response. The article presents a conceptual model of information protection that integrates access control, anomaly detection, and encryption of critical messages, and includes a formalized evaluation of effectiveness based on quantitative metrics. The methodological foundation of the study involves structural threat modeling, algorithmic design of protective mechanisms, implementation of functional modules in the Python environment, and simulation of behavioral scenarios using generated event logs. To assess the effectiveness of the security model, metrics such as risk coefficient, detection rate, access entropy, and average response time were used. The algorithms operate in real time, responding to events according to a predefined logic: the system blocks or limits suspicious actions, activates encryption of critical messages, and logs all incidents in the event journal. The simulation confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed model: the risk coefficient was reduced by more than half, the attack detection accuracy reached 95–98%, and the access entropy increased, indicating a more balanced and secure rights management. The proposed model establishes a multi-level security architecture that can be implemented in both traditional SCADA and MES systems, as well as IIoT infrastructures. Thanks to its flexible structure, open implementation, and adaptability, the model can be scaled to meet specific enterprise needs and applied in resource-constrained environments or large industrial systems. The obtained results demonstrate the practical applicability of the model for ensuring reliable data protection in the modern cyber environment.