The security of control systems can be threatened from different aspects, with the end device being the most important attack vector. With this in mind, the IEC, within the 62443 standard, wanted to emphasise devices by preparing a document exclusively concerning their security: IEC62443-4-2. This document contains different technical requirements to improve the security of the types of assets that can be found in a control system.
The continuity of the production process in businesses that require industrial automation depends more and more on the proper functioning, safety and reliability of the system of that composes it. Therefore, conducting tests of acceptance of its operation prior to its commissioning, is vital to ensure that the systems acquired meet the requirements set out in the contract between the company and the manufacturer.
Monitoring and analyzing security incidents in Industrial Control Systems (ICS) has been a priority for many organizations for a while now. As a response to this need, and given the great success in other areas specialized in cybersecurity, the MITRE organization has developed a matrix that collects many of the tactics, techniques and procedures detected in the industrial world. This article seeks to make the contents and potential uses of said matrix known.
All organisations must be prepared so that, after the impact of a cyberattack, it may change, improve and adapt its processes and services. For this reason, it is necessary to protect the main business processes using a set of tasks that allow the organisation to evolve after a serious incident to redesign its strategies and minimise the possible impact of future cyberattacks
It is necessary to protect the main business processes through a set of tasks that allow the organisation to recover from a major incident in a timeframe that does not compromise the continuity of its services. This ensures a planned response to any security breach.
In previous articles an introduction was given to the 61850 regulation and the different protocols of which it consists. As explained in those articles, the GOOSE and SV (Sample Values) protocols, included in the standard, use multicast frames. Security is very difficult to implement in this type of frame, but there are a number of measures that make possible to raise the security level.
In recent years we have witnessed the evolution of the electrical grid and the development of new technologies produce what we know today as the smart grid. This evolution continues to this day and the trend seems to point to greater interconnection between end consumers and the grid, which increases possible attack vectors. Over the course of this article, we shall see the security measures that will be used in the electrical grid of the future.
With the arrival of industry 4.0 to companies’ productive processes, including IIoT and Cloud, the need to control and monitor the ICS that remotely make them up arises. However, said access points should be established securely and in a controlled manner, mainly due to the criticality of these assets. This article discusses good practices, tools and methods that can be used to establish remote connections to OT networks as securely as possible.
