Secure Cloud Control Using Verifiable Computation

Security for outsourced control applications can be provided if the physical plant is enabled with a mechanism to verify the control signal received from the cloud. Recent developments in modern cryptography claim the applicability of verifiable computation techniques. Such techniques allow a client to check the correctness of a remote execution. This article delivers a proof of concept for applicability of the verifiable computation scheme to control applications over the cloud. We showcase the practicality of verifiable computation on physical plants with different timing demands and deliver a real-life example using a watertank system as the client and Microsoft Azure as the cloud. We show the effectiveness of the verifiable computation scheme on cloud-based implementation of advanced control methods, such as Model Predictive Control.