After the manager order to bolster the nations cybersecurity following the Colonial Pipeline assault, the U.S. Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) has been releasing new mandates for essential infrastructure reminiscent of freight and passenger rail, pipelines, and airports, with extra industries to comply with.
The networks that help these essential infrastructures are mission-critical, which implies that it’s important to have the ability to keep linked whereas securely administering coverage within the industrial house. Being an business chief in networking and safety throughout each the data expertise (IT) and operational expertise (OT) domains, Cisco is in a novel place to ship an end-to-end safety technique, whereas enhancing operational uptime and resiliency.
To strengthen the cybersecurity posture of the nation’s essential infrastructure, there are 4 key necessities outlined by the mandates, highlighted in daring textual content under.
Community segmentation
The primary requirement is to “Implement community segmentation insurance policies and controls to make sure that the Operational Expertise (OT) system can proceed to securely function if an Data Expertise (IT) system has been compromised.”
Utilizing a defense-in-depth strategy, Cisco addresses this requirement in lots of elements of the community, adapting to the distinctive structure wants of particular person organizations. The answer is a typical one, use the community infrastructure to phase a community. Don’t wait till you attain a “safety equipment” to do safety. Cisco gives an end-to-end segmentation resolution during which knowledge is stored inside its personal digital community from supply to vacation spot, wherever which may be.
To help the distinctive necessities of commercial networks, the attain of Cisco SD-WAN has been expanded by means of Cisco Industrial Routers, which offer the connectivity, mobility, and safety required for essential infrastructure. SD-WAN segments visitors on the fringe of the community and maintains separation by means of all related factors within the community. Coverage could be orchestrated throughout a number of enforcement factors within the community utilizing Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, or—in case your group prefers—can help the evolution to a safe service edge (SSE) with Cisco Safe Entry.
Entry management
TSA highlights the necessity to “Implement entry management measures to safe and stop unauthorized entry to Essential Cyber Techniques.” As OT gadgets traverse each the LAN and the WAN with a unified identification, Cisco can implement coverage in all places. Cisco Safety Group Tags (SGTs) establish the function {that a} gadget has on the community, and the related privileges are enforced by switches, routers, and firewalls, relying on the place the info flows.
Distant customers, whether or not inner technicians or vendor help, typically want entry to essential cyber programs. Cisco Safe Gear Entry (SEA) gives versatile entry for distant configuration and upkeep of commercial belongings in distributed places whereas minimizing safety danger.
Steady monitoring
Segmentation will not be sufficient to finish a safety resolution. By implementing “steady monitoring and detection insurance policies and procedures to detect cybersecurity threats and proper anomalies that have an effect on Essential Cyber System operations,” we are able to frequently monitor and consider the belief of each customers and gadgets on our networks and push coverage again into the community as safety posture adjustments.
To supply visibility and safety posture to the commercial community, Cisco Cyber Imaginative and prescient is embedded in Cisco networking infrastructure in an effort to keep away from the necessity for devoted home equipment and/or pricey Switched Port Analyzer (SPAN) options. Cyber Imaginative and prescient identifies belongings, their traits, and their communication patterns to “scale back the chance of exploitation of unpatched programs by means of the appliance of safety patches and updates for working programs, functions, drivers and firmware on Essential Cyber Techniques in a well timed method utilizing a risk-based methodology.” Cyber Imaginative and prescient mechanically identifies gadget vulnerabilities and calculates danger scores so you possibly can proactively construct an enchancment course of to deal with dangers.
Cisco’s capabilities, highlighted above, not solely meet the present TSA Cybersecurity Directive necessities but additionally allow purchasers to ship extra sturdy cybersecurity capabilities to thwart efforts by business threats. Most importantly, these capabilities are foundational for enabling each safety and operational resiliency in addition to optimizing the efficiency of mission-critical networks.
To be taught extra about how Cisco may help you safe your industrial operations, please contact us or go to cisco.com/go/iotsecurity. And don’t neglect to subscribe to our OT safety publication.
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