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DOE OSTI · 3367033

Augmenting LLM-Based Agents for Improved Performance in Pentesting and Commissioning Operational Technology in Critical Infrastructure

Werth, Aaron [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000319365627)·Hahn, Gary [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000158529765)·Borges Hink, Raymond [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000224169594)·Piesciorovsky, Emilio [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)]·Prowell, Stacy J. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000221045641)·Torkelson, Lauren [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0009000909989082)·Oesch, T. Sean [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000269091022)·Searle, Justin [ControlThings.io, Hurricane, UT (United States)]·Roberts, Jesse [Tennessee Technological Univ., Cookeville, TN (United States)]
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Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI), and more specifically large language models (LLMs) have the potential for use in penetration testing (“pentesting”) against devices, networks, and computer systems in information technology (IT). We explore the possibility of extending pentesting from IT systems to operational technology (OT) systems, which are more obscure than IT systems in their protocols and design. A challenge therefore exists when applying pretrained LLMs to OT systems as corpora are likely to underrepresent OT systems in comparison to other more prevalent systems. We evaluate augmentations of LLMs with various methods, especially retrieval augmented generation (RAG), to improve performance of the LLMs in the OT domain. In addition to pentesting, some of the testing of these OT devices may include commissioning to ensure that the newly installed devices work correctly. Our framework may also be applied in such cases.

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BibTeXRIS

Werth, Aaron [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000319365627), Hahn, Gary [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000158529765), Borges Hink, Raymond [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000224169594), Piesciorovsky, Emilio [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)], Prowell, Stacy J. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000221045641), Torkelson, Lauren [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0009000909989082), Oesch, T. Sean [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000269091022), Searle, Justin [ControlThings.io, Hurricane, UT (United States)], Roberts, Jesse [Tennessee Technological Univ., Cookeville, TN (United States)]. 2026-06-01. Augmenting LLM-Based Agents for Improved Performance in Pentesting and Commissioning Operational Technology in Critical Infrastructure. https://doi.org/10.2172/3367033

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