Mitigate damage and protect control systems from attacks.
Following the latest report of vulnerabilities in a control platform, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently issued an alert recommending several strategies to mitigate damage and protect control systems from attacks. Phoenix Contact’s FL mGuard line of security appliances can help make these strategies a reality.
In December 2011, independent researcher Ruben Santamarta publicly released vulnerabilities he discovered within several Schneider Electric PLCs. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (US ICS-CERT) quickly issued an alert confirming the findings and providing mitigation strategies.
The agency recommended users to:
- Minimize network exposure for all control system devices. Control system devices should not face the Internet.
- Locate control system networks and devices behind firewalls, and isolate them from the business network (also known as a defense-in-depth solution).
- If remote access is required, use secure methods, such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
The mGuard provides firewall protection to block both attacks and unwanted network traffic that can negatively impact sensitive control networks. Additionally, the mGuard’s advanced logging capabilities can alert the network manager if somebody has tried access to the network. These logs can be stored locally, or the mGuard can send them to a central location to make auditing and compliance reporting easier. If the application requires Internet access (such as for remote support or diagnostics), the mGuard can create a secure VPN tunnel for safe and secure communication.
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