‘Challenge-Response’

DNP3 Secure Authentication uses the ‘challenge-response’ security principle to check critical messages. Using this principle, it can detect whether any critical messages transmitted to and/or from a DNP3 outstation are genuine and originate from a known DNP3 device.

With ‘Challenge-Response’, a DNP3 device has to challenge any critical request or response that it receives. The device only performs the critical request, or processes the data that it stored, after it receives an authentic reply to its challenge.