The rise of attacks on organisations harnessing critical infrastructure for operational purposes has propelled the need for ensuring the cyber security. In this context, securing Operational Technology (OT) presents versatile challenges. Exploitation of supply chain vulnerabilities, third-party vendor’s remote access and targeted malware have heightened the digital attack surface for manufacturing plants.
The repercussions of potential OT breaches extend beyond an industrial site. Insofar as, not only causing disruption to the production, however in severe consequences the negative impact may affect the public. For example disruptions with basic services like water and energy. Moreover, in the most unpleasant cases adversaries may cause environmental damage.
In order to protect data and operational technology (OT) environments companies must adhere to security principles and regulations pertaining to their respective industry. At all times, safety must be of the greatest importance. Without an emphasis on safety, human lives are at risk. As opposed to conventional IT systems whereby the priorities fixate on speed and innovation, for any organisation running OT, safety is the first critical precedence.
To effectively secure OT, engineers must have an oversight of how all their systems operate. Additionally, have an awareness of weaknesses to identify where the failures will take place. When satisfied, these two conditions permit OT systems to be predictable and deterministic for the engineers handling the technology. Most importantly, in the event of power losses ensure no restrictions block computer restarts. In this regard, consider plans for system validation after recovery and frequent backups.
All organisations should facilitate the management of OT systems to qualified personnel well-versed with the knowledge of the systems. Individuals responsible for the OT administration should aim to document dependencies and develop a robust understanding of the systems. Only by way of understanding OT systems can enforcement of rigorous security protocols take place.
OT data acts as a valuable asset for adversaries, in particular engineering configuration which could be used in a targeted malware attack. Moreover, threat actors may want to gather reconnaissance data (voltage and pressure levels) related to the facility operations specifically to know an organisations control systems, operations and customer.
For the protection of OT data, record all failed login attempts and update passwords frequently. Furthermore, set clear guidelines on storage of OT data outlining how and where the data will be stored. By way of example take stringent measures for storing data setting up protected data repositories. As a precautionary measure ensure segmentation of repositories from the main networks and prevent internet access.
Network segmentation and OT segregation play a pivotal role in minimising the impact of breaches. OT networks require this step where remote access for system maintenance poses a high risk. Moreover, invest in the infrastructure necessary to identify device connections especially portable devices. To leverage the highest levels of security for OT environments ensure the usage of trusted firmware sources that provide verified cryptographic signatures.
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