Everything You Need to Know About ICS Security!
An industrial control system is structured with different types of control systems that are used to monitor industrial processes.
Rate of cybercrimes is steadily reaching new heights as the world is transitioning toward digital.
It’s especially true for those large enterprises and corporations whose verticals lie in the technology terrain as a single leak of sensitive information can create a billion-dollar loss or even bankruptcy of these businesses.
At present, regardless of the type of work, a factory does while manufacturing, the introduction of automation and robotics has now become a common occurrence to boost the efficiency of the plant as a whole.
This is exactly where Need for Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Security comes into play.
With cybercriminals becoming more active all around the world, the Need for ICS Security has gone three-fold as every critical and complex industrial process and critical infrastructure is now getting monitored with ICS with the internet as its backing.
This has opened a new level of threat to these OT networks as there was once a time when these systems were practically dumb, and those that were computerized used simple protocols that were proprietary to the system while living on networks protected by the outside world.
However, before going about the Need for ICS Security and its merits in detail, we must understand What is ICS Security and is there a Need for ICS Security?
What is ICS Security?
Understanding ICS Security needs a thorough knowledge of what ICS or Industrial Control Systems is all about.
An industrial control system is structured with different types of control systems that are used to monitor industrial processes.
It can either be comprised of just a few controllers or can have a set of complex networks of interactive control systems that are made up of hundreds or thousands of connections.
Simply put, Industrial control systems (ICS) can be defined as specific kinds of assets and associated instrumentation that help to oversee industrial processes. Generally, there are three common types of ICS namely, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, distributed control systems (DCS), and programmable logic controllers (PLCs).
Therefore industrial control system security is mainly focused on safekeeping and securing industrial control systems as well as necessary software and hardware that are used by the system.
Why is there a Need for ICS Security?
Need for ICS Security can be measured simply due to the significance a ICS possesses for a smooth manufacturing or industrial task.
Since an Industrial Control system can run nearly every digitized industrial operation on the planet, the risk of an ICS being wrongfully accessed or manipulated by unauthorized users can heavily impact both business continuity and human safety.
Another Need for ICS Security stems from the fact that sometimes the aim of politically motivated cyberattacks is focused on causing physical damage or operational disruption of the industrial control systems to gain an upper hand on a country’s resources, while other industrial espionage attacks will focus more on stealing or damaging Intellectual Property (IP).
Also, Need for ICS Security is significant to eliminate human errors that might lead to huge losses if not tackled beforehand.
Features of ICS Security
Need for ICS security can be due to:
- Timely securing and safeguarding ICS along with the variety of software and hardware used in operating and controlling machinery, and other devices used in the factory and other industrial businesses.
- To keep industrial processes and machinery running smoothly.
- Ensuring accurate data and information to be displayed wherein Need for ICS Security becomes more prominent so that engineers can see what is happening in the plant or production floor.
Top ICS Security Companies
Here we have selected some of the top ICS Security companies that work closely on providing cybersecurity services.
Nozomi Networks- Nozomi Networks offers ICS cybersecurity solution for real-time visibility to better manage industrial cyber risk and improve resilience for industrial operations.
Dragos- Another ICS solutions provider, Dragos’s mission is to safeguard civilization by protecting the world’s critical infrastructure as it codifies the knowledge of cybersecurity experts into their own integrated software platform.
Mission Secure- An OT cybersecurity leader, Mission Secure Platform is backed by 24/7 Managed Services and is the first to integrate OT visibility, segmentation, protection, threat hunting, and incident response.
PAS- PAS offers process safety, cybersecurity, and asset reliability solutions for the energy, process, and power industries worldwide.
