How to protect industrial networks?

author: Olycom

2024-03-29

The Industrial Internet fulfills the development requirements of industrial intelligence as a pivotal network infrastructure boasting low latency, high reliability and wide coverage. It not only fosters the growth of the industrial economy in the future, but also has a comprehensive, profound and revolutionary impact. Nonetheless, security issues cannot be overlooked. As we progress towards the future, traditional security measures will no longer suffice in responding to new security threats. It is imperative to establish a new security protection paradigm and create a comprehensive, proactive and collaborative Industrial Internet security protection system to guarantee the safety and dependability of industrial intelligent applications.

1. Build secure network infrastructure and security configurations

Building a secure network infrastructure is paramount to ensuring industrial network security. This entails incorporating industry best practices in network design and architecture, such as network segmentation to lessen attack exposure, utilizing firewalls to enforce access control policies, and leveraging virtual private networks (VPNs) or other secure communication protocols to safeguard data transfers. Additionally, organizations must ensure that all network components, including industrial switches, routers, and firewalls, are configured with the latest security patches and updates to mitigate known vulnerabilities.

Securing industrial equipment is of utmost importance in preventing unauthorized access and reducing the likelihood of cyberattacks. A crucial principle that organizations must adhere to is “least privilege," which dictates that devices be granted only the necessary access and functionality. It is also imperative to replace default or weak passwords with strong and unique ones, while disabling or shutting down any unused services or ports. Moreover, organizations must guarantee that devices are configured to forward logs and alerts to centralized security monitoring systems, enabling real-time detection and response to potential security incidents.

2. Divide Networks Into Multiple Segments

If the industrial network currently in operation is segmented to a limited extent between machines, areas, or functions, a good starting point to enhancing network security may be to create more segmentation within the network to limit unnecessary communication. Apart from reducing the number of broadcast messages sent to all devices, segmentation may be a precondition for firewall solutions and a consideration factor in security methods such as ISA/IEC 62443. If the switches used do not support functionalities such as VLAN, it may be necessary to upgrade switch hardware.

3. Assess current cybersecurity status

Numerous network security solutions, including intrusion detection systems (IDS), rely on configurable or managed switches that possess capabilities or functions not found in regular switches. Any initiative involving network isolation or segmentation necessitates the use of hardware that extends beyond the basic communication between devices A and B. Before embarking upon any project to implement a new network security solution or modify the network architecture, it is essential to take stock of the installed network switches and firewalls across the industrial network. Don’t forget to look at machine equipment networks as they may be targets for future projects related to Industry 4.0 or IIoT.

When evaluating, consider how many physical ports are available, whether it is under an active warranty or support contract, what features it has, and how they are currently managed. If a switch is discovered in a location with ports that are fully used and does not support features such as remote management or virtual LANs (VLANs), learning about upcoming projects from the engineers and network security team's plans may determine what needs to be installed. Switch type. Without knowing the current condition and what is needed in the future, inappropriate upgrades or replacements can waste a lot of time and cost.

4. Enhance industrial network security awareness

According to the security awareness pyramid, cybersecurity can be broken down into different stages of awareness. The foundation is built on management commitment and support, followed by the implementation of safety plans and policies during the awareness building process. For example, it is crucial to determine read and write permissions according to security configurations when establishing security policies.

However, it can be challenging to ensure that such policies are followed by everyone in the organization. Facility managers may find it complicated to implement cybersecurity measures, which can result in group-level security being implemented instead of individual login credentials. This can then create new cybersecurity risks.
Once awareness has been built, and policies defined, employees become more focused on their system settings. While checking all systems for vulnerabilities can be a complex task, it is never too late to start. Conducting a risk assessment can help identify security priorities, making it easier to define and protect critical assets. It is recommended to start by checking the configuration and using visualization software when inspecting large networks to identify any necessary adjustments that should be made.

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