Design & Development of Virtual Reality Empowered Cyber-Security Training Testbed for IoT Systems

Cyber-physical Systems(CPS) are a new generation of systems found in critical infrastructure, healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, and many other sectors. The increasing digitization of critical infrastructure has brought to light the pressing need for innovative cybersecurity training and preparedness approaches. This paper presents an IoT-based system that simulates a wastewater treatment facility, complemented by a Virtual Reality (VR) interface, creating a comprehensive digital twin. The primary objective of this integrated system is to establish a fully functional and immersive platform for evaluating various cybersecurity attacks and intrusion detection mechanisms within a wastewater treatment environment. The existing wastewater treatment simulators lack a visual interface and focus on a single area of the treatment process. The developed VR-based IoT system enables users to monitor and control the physical equipment and respond to simulated cybersecurity threats in realtime. By leveraging emerging technologies like IoT and VR, we provide critical infarstructure employees with a hands-on training experience, enabling them to recognize, mitigate, and respond to cyber threats effectively.