The Initial Access tactic is one of the 12 tactics that make up the matrix developed by MITRE for industrial environments (for more information on the matrix, feel free to consult the article ICS Matrix, the State of v11). Within this tactic, different techniques used by attackers with the aim of gaining unauthorized access to an industrial environment are shown. This is often the first target of external attackers, as access to the ICS's internal environment allows internal computers to be recognized and exploited, move around the network, gain elevated privileges, or steal sensitive information. Therefore, it is important to know this tactic in order to defend our systems
Today, one of the most critical, but least known, procedures in industrial security is the secure development. This article gathers all the best practices for the creation of specific applications and equipment for industrial environments in a secure manner. Security aspects that must take into account both the work done during the design (confidentiality of the company and customers, workers' security...), and the security that the designed product itself must present throughout its life cycle (vulnerability management, access control, input/output management...).
The aim of this article is to address the good practices of secure development, from the perspective of industrial cybersecurity. Although traditional best practices can be applicable to these environments, the fundamental aspects of safety and availability generate different approaches, mainly in aspects related to memory and resource management, update and patch management cycles, etc.
This article aims to present a brief example guide for an implementation of the new standard in a supplier's facilities.
Going through the critical points of the standard, a generic use case will be followed to exemplify how a vehicle manufacturer can adapt its processes to comply with the new standard in an efficient and effective way.
By presenting an overview of the standard and production processes, the aim is to provide a brief guide to serve as a starting point and help avoid common failures in industrial environments when faced with new regulations, such as redundancy of effort, inefficiency in resource management and deficiencies in the application of safety measures.
Larger scale and complexity industrial control networks present risks, and cybersecurity needs that usually cannot be met by applying a traditional segmentation model. Factors such as the presence of critical obsolete equipment, equipment managed by third parties or the increased presence of IoT technologies that require external connections, are motivating the adoption of more advanced architectures when applying the principle of defense in depth.
Proper segmentation can be a fundamental aspect in preventing attacks, especially in their propagation to essential and critical production assets. It is also important to adapt to the environment to be segmented. It is a common mistake to try to segment networks based on concepts and schemes like the IT environment.
This article will present some new network models and tips to work on a correct segmentation in an environment where different components are involved (OT, IIoT, IT, IoT).
MITRE Caldera OT stands out mainly for being an open-source tool that allows the simulation of different cyber-attacks in industrial environments. This tool was created by MITRE and CISA (US Cybersecurity and Infrastructures Security Agency), as the experts saw the need to be able to improve and understand cybersecurity in industrial environments without using a high number of resources.
In addition, this tool is designed to be used by both the Red Team and the Blue Team, allowing both teams to collaborate with each other to improve the level of cyber security in these environments.
In the era of interconnection and digitization, industrial control systems (ICS) are increasingly exposed to cyber threats. These systems are vital for energy production, manufacturing and critical infrastructure management, and their protection has become an essential priority.
Risk analysis is fundamental in this context, as it allows identifying, assessing and prioritizing the risks that can affect ICS. This process, ranges from technical vulnerabilities to emerging threats, and is crucial for developing effective mitigation and protection strategies.
In this article, the challenges and solutions related to risk analysis in ICS will be explored, as well as the importance of the IEC 62443-3-2 standard in this critical process.
The digital twins are virtual recreations of real-world objects or processes. This innovative idea, proposed by Dr. Michael Grieves, has become increasingly relevant in various industrial sectors thanks to the advancement of technologies such as 3D modelling, the Internet of Things (IoT), the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), machine learning and big data. Its application makes it possible to simulate and analyse physical processes efficiently, thus contributing to the digital transformation of industry, also known as Industry 4.0.
The fundamental purpose of digital twins is to facilitate the understanding of how elements operate in the physical world. For example, in manufacturing, it is possible to create a digital twin of a factory and through simulations explore different scenarios: what would happen if a machine were modified, how would it impact production, and what would happen if a machine were changed? The digital twin provides answers before real changes are made to the physical environment, speeding up decision-making and optimising processes.
The agri-food sector is one of the most critical sectors today because it is one of the most important sectors for the country's economy, as it produces food.
This sector, like many others, is in continuous evolution. An example of this is the automation and digitalization of the many processes that are carried out. These new technologies bring many advantages, such as more efficient processes, less water consumption, detection of possible risks, etc. These great advantages also bring with them some problems, such as increased exposure to cyber-attacks.
Therefore, this article provides some basic knowledge to make the industry aware of the importance of implementing cybersecurity in their technologies.
UMAS (Unified Messaging Application Services) is a Schneider Electric (SE) proprietary protocol used to configure and monitor Schneider Electric programmable logic controllers (PLCs). While it is true that the protocol is related to this manufacturer, the use of the protocol is quite widespread in different sectors, especially the energy sector, as is obvious.
The article will focus on the technical breakdown of the protocol and the use of the protocol. The article will also show weaknesses, strengths and some technical vulnerabilities detected in this protocol.
In the electricity sector, it has always been necessary to use robust communications that allow proper communication, since a failure in this sector would cause a large number of losses, both economic and social.
In addition, with the technological advances, it is important also to have secure communications since the electricity sector is one of the sectors that currently suffers the most cyber-attacks. For this reason, in recent years different robust and secure protocols have been created.
One of these protocols is DNP3, created mainly for the use of substation automation and control systems, for the electric utility industry, although it has now also been used for other sectors.
Finally, in this article we want to explain in more depth the operation of this protocol and the benefits or disadvantages of using this protocol.