After the chief order to bolster the nations cybersecurity following the Colonial Pipeline assault, the U.S. Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) has been releasing new mandates for vital infrastructure resembling freight and passenger rail, pipelines, and airports, with extra industries to comply with.
The networks that help these vital infrastructures are mission-critical, which implies that it’s important to have the ability to keep linked whereas securely administering coverage within the industrial area. 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 vital 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 Know-how (OT) system can proceed to securely function if an Info Know-how (IT) system has been compromised.”
Utilizing a defense-in-depth method, 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 standard one, use the community infrastructure to section a community. Don’t wait till you attain a “safety equipment” to do safety. Cisco supplies an end-to-end segmentation resolution during which knowledge is saved 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 way of Cisco Industrial Routers, which give the connectivity, mobility, and safety required for vital infrastructure. SD-WAN segments site visitors on the fringe of the community and maintains separation by way of all related factors within the community. Coverage will 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 Vital Cyber Programs.” As OT units traverse each the LAN and the WAN with a unified id, Cisco can implement coverage in every single place. Cisco Safety Group Tags (SGTs) establish the position {that a} machine has on the community, and the related privileges are enforced by switches, routers, and firewalls, relying on the place the information flows.
Distant customers, whether or not inside technicians or vendor help, usually want entry to vital cyber programs. Cisco Safe Tools Entry (SEA) supplies versatile entry for distant configuration and upkeep of commercial property in distributed places whereas minimizing safety danger.
Steady monitoring
Segmentation isn’t 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 Vital Cyber System operations,” we will frequently monitor and consider the belief of each customers and units on our networks and push coverage again into the community as safety posture adjustments.
To offer visibility and safety posture to the economic community, Cisco Cyber Imaginative and prescient is embedded in Cisco networking infrastructure with a view to keep away from the necessity for devoted home equipment and/or pricey Switched Port Analyzer (SPAN) options. Cyber Imaginative and prescient identifies property, their traits, and their communication patterns to “cut back the danger of exploitation of unpatched programs by way of the applying of safety patches and updates for working programs, purposes, drivers and firmware on Vital Cyber Programs in a well timed method utilizing a risk-based methodology.” Cyber Imaginative and prescient routinely identifies machine vulnerabilities and calculates danger scores so you’ll be able to proactively construct an enchancment course of to handle dangers.
Cisco’s capabilities, highlighted above, not solely meet the present TSA Cybersecurity Directive necessities but additionally allow shoppers to ship extra strong 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 overlook to subscribe to our OT safety publication.
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