Efficient Plant Nov./Dec. 2021 - 14

feature | cybersecurity
Fight
Cyber
Threats
With CIP Security
Securing control systems and their communications can help protect
your operations from an evolving-threat landscape.
THERE'S A GROWING demand in
boardrooms and beyond to protect industrial
control systems (ICS) from cyber threats.
Th e 2021 SANS ICS/OT survey (SANS
Institute, N. Bethesda, MD, sans.org) found
that 7 in 10 respondents said the risk to
their environment was high or severe, while
about 3 in 10 said unprotected devices were
a major concern. Th is past year we've also
seen high-profi le incidents that involved
food, water, and energy supplies.
Th e White House even put out a statement
this past summer addressing the need
to strengthen control-system cybersecurity
in critical infrastructure. It stated, " Th e
cybersecurity threats posed to the systems
that control and operate the critical
infrastructure on which we all depend are
14 | EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM
among the most signifi cant and growing
issues confronting our nation. "
When it comes to protecting your ICS
devices and your overall operations from
cyber attacks, a defense-in-depth security
approach is considered to be a best practice.
Within that approach is an opportunity to
strengthen the device layer by embracing
CIP Security, a security mechanism in ICS
devices.
SELF-DEFENDING DEVICES
ICS communication protocols inherently
lack security properties such as authentication,
integrity, and confi dentiality. Th is can
make ICS devices vulnerable to threats such
as denial-of-service attacks, that can leave
devices inoperable, and man-in-the-middle
Jack Visoky
Rockwell Automation
attacks, that can alter communications.
CIP Security helps address these risks.
It uses modern, standard, and proven IT
technology to help minimize potential
vulnerabilities in ICS devices and their
communications.
CIP Security helps devices defend against
cyberattacks using three security properties:
Device identifi cation and authentication
helps prevent a threat actor from connecting
to a device. It does this by requiring
that devices confi rm that each other's identities
are authentic before they are allowed
to communicate with each other. Devices
can perform this confi rmation using digital
certifi cates or pre-shared keys.
Data integrity helps prevent ICS device
communications from being tampered
NOV/DEC 2021
http://www.sans.org http://www.EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM
Efficient Plant Nov./Dec. 2021

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