Editor’s Note: This blog post was updated in October 2024 (originally published in October 2021) for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the perfect reminder about the importance of OT (Operational Technology) security. With increased awareness about cyber threats, it's crucial to protect critical industrial systems from potential attacks that could disrupt operations. This article outlines effective strategies to enhance your OT security, helping you stay empowered and protected against evolving threats. Don't let the topic of cybersecurity scare you, even during spooky season 🎃. Keep reading to learn the basics of OT cybersecurity and remote connectivity to stay protected against cyber threats.
In this Post:
Understanding OT Security | Differences Between OT and IT Security | The Convergence of IT and OT Networks | Top Three Approaches to OT Cybersecurity | Layered Defense Strategies for OT Systems | Practical Solutions for Enhancing OT Security | Cybersecurity Support | Frequently Asked Questions
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Key Takeaways
Operational Technology (OT) security focuses on safeguarding cyber-physical systems within critical infrastructure, prioritizing continuity, integrity, and safety of operations. Key differences between OT and IT security highlight the unique vulnerabilities in OT environments, necessitating specialized solutions tailored to maintain operational processes and data integrity. Layered defense strategies, including network segmentation, strong identity management, and continuous monitoring, are essential for enhancing OT security against increasing cyber threats. |
Operational Technology (OT) security involves protocols and best practices aimed at safeguarding cyber-physical and industrial control systems. These systems are the backbone of critical infrastructures like power grids, water utilities, and manufacturing plants, where protecting the hardware and software that control physical processes is vital. Failure to secure these systems can lead to disastrous consequences affecting safety, profitability, and reputation.
The primary goal of OT security is to ensure continuity, integrity, and safety of operations within industrial environments. Unlike traditional IT systems, which can afford occasional downtime, OT systems often run continuously and cannot be easily halted. This continuous operation makes them particularly susceptible to cyber threats if not properly secured.
Standards such as ISA99 and IEC 62443 provide methodologies for effective OT security. Maintaining a detailed inventory of OT assets is also crucial for identifying vulnerabilities. As connectivity increases, so do vulnerabilities, making stringent cybersecurity measures essential.
Let's start by clarifying the distinction between IT technology and OT technology.
Information Technology (IT): Refers to anything related to computing technology, such as networking, hardware, software, the internet, or the people/departments that work with these technologies.
Operational Technology (OT): Refers to anything that monitors and manages industrial process assets and manufacturing/industrial equipment.
While OT and IT security both aim to protect systems from cyber threats, their priorities differ. IT security focuses on data confidentiality and integrity, while OT security prioritizes the safety and availability of critical equipment and processes. Disruptions in OT systems can have immediate and severe consequences, such as halting production lines or causing power outages.
OT systems manage physical devices and processes, often using specialized communication protocols different from those in IT networks. Unlike IT systems, which are regularly updated, OT systems are rarely patched due to continuous operation, posing significant vulnerabilities.
Understanding these differences is essential for developing an effective OT security strategy. Security professionals must adopt specialized security solutions and controls tailored to the unique needs of OT systems, ensuring both operational processes and data integrity are maintained.
Although IT and OT technologies are becoming increasingly intertwined, the departments that implement them often have separate needs and priorities. For instance, OT prioritizes machine safety, efficiency, and preventing downtime, while IT focuses on systems and procedures to protect against cyber security breaches or attacks.
Information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) are now more intertwined than ever before. For instance, certain components in control cabinets are essential to operations but also communicate information over Ethernet, making them IT.
As machines and systems become more networked and cloud-integrated, the lines continue to blur, and the issues IT departments face with protecting office networks from cyber-attacks become similar to those faced on the machine shop floor.
The convergence of IT and OT networks offers benefits like predictive maintenance and real-time data exchange, leading to improved decision-making and reduced downtime. However, this interconnectedness also introduces new cyber risks. Increased connectivity means vulnerabilities in IT systems can be exploited to access OT networks, posing risks to industrial operations.
When bringing IT technology into the world of OT, the best way to ensure cyber safety is by involving your IT team to help to create overall safe industrial networks. IT & OT network teams must work and communicate together to build a comprehensive, secure industrial network - there's no way around it!
Here are two tips to facilitate IT & OT team collaboration:
1. Connect. Begin a relationship between your OT & IT teams. Workshops, field visits, and one-on-one conversations can go a long way.
2. Understand. Learn each team's security goals. Where do they differ, and where do they connect? How can your departments help one another accomplish these goals?
Merging the two teams will help your networks be more secure and lead to less opportunity for cyber security threats or attacks.
There are many ways to approach industrial cybersecurity. How do you know where to start?
Here are three tried-and-true procedures to tackle cybersecurity:
This approach asks OEMs, integrators, and machine end-users to look at the “big picture.” The holistic security approach highlights company assets and how your cybersecurity efforts apply to them. The three categories of company assets you want to highlight are technologies, persons, and processes. With this approach, outlining all of your security assets makes sure they effectively work together, not against one another.
Another way to approach cybersecurity is by following industrial cybersecurity standards. These standards include IEC 62443, NERC CIP, NIST CSF, CIS CSC 20, ISO 27000 series, etc. According to the SANS ICS Security Survey, the NIST CSF remains the dominant framework in use. However, asset owners usually combine the different frameworks to develop a company-specific Security Policy. Additionally, regional, and industry regulatory requirements are additional focus points for the IT and OT security teams.
Defense-in-depth, also called a castle approach, is a concept in which multiple layers of security controls (protection) are placed around your critical assets and throughout an IT system. For example, implementing a firewall in an ICS network is a small step toward securing an OT network. However, with this approach alone, complete cybersecurity protection isn’t guaranteed.
In addition to the methodologies above, another best practice is the layered defense strategy, which uses different components to protect operations with multiple layers of security. This approach isolates different layers depending on the networks you are running. For example, the type of layers in this defense strategy might include IT network, industrial network security, control networks, physical security, device security, and critical assets.
Layered defense strategies are vital for robust OT cybersecurity. They provide multiple barriers against threats, ensuring that if one layer is breached, others can still offer protection. Key components of a layered defense include network segmentation, identity management, and continuous monitoring.
Network Segmentation: Dividing the network into isolated segments helps contain security incidents and limit attackers' lateral movement. This reduces cyber risk and enables tailored zone-specific policies.
Identity Management and Access Controls: Implementing strong identity management and access controls prevents unauthorized access to OT systems. Strict authentication measures, including multi-factor authentication, ensure that only authorized personnel can access critical systems.
Continuous Monitoring and Incident Response: Continuous monitoring is vital to detect anomalies and maintain operational integrity. Non-intrusive monitoring tailored to OT systems can quickly detect unusual activity, while well-defined incident response plans ensure effective management of security incidents.
This approach is considered a cybersecurity best practice because it separates IT and OT networks, reducing risk and mitigating damages. Additionally, if one layer goes down, you can use this approach to isolate those processes and assess the threat while running operations, preventing downtime and saving money.
To safeguard OT systems, businesses must implement practical solutions like secure remote connectivity, adopting standard frameworks, and utilizing advanced security tools.
Physical security ensures secure facility access, cabinet locking, port disabling, and managed ethernet switches with advanced security features. Secure the Wi-Fi SSID and use strong encryption and password management. Implement firewalls for authorized users and traffic on the Industrial Control network.
Secure Remote Connectivity with mGuard: mGuard by Phoenix Contact provides a secure gateway for remote access, using IPsec VPN technology to ensure data confidentiality and integrity during remote maintenance.
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Important note: Teamviewer is NOT secure for industrial applications! If you're not familiar with Teamviewer, it's software that allows remote control, desktop sharing, and online meetings. While it's user-friendly and convenient, it's much less secure than a VPN with authentication and encryption. |
Implementing the NIST Cybersecurity Framework: The NIST Cybersecurity Framework offers a structured approach to prioritize cybersecurity efforts, helping organizations systematically manage risks and protect critical infrastructure.
Utilizing Advanced Security Tools: Advanced security tools designed for real-time threat detection and response are essential for protecting OT assets and maintaining safe operations.
Ready to improve your OT security strategy? Download our free training on cybersecurity and remote connectivity basics. Or, contact us today to learn how we can help you implement these best practices and secure your critical infrastructure.