After the manager order to bolster the nations cybersecurity following the Colonial Pipeline assault, the U.S. Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) has been releasing new mandates for crucial infrastructure resembling freight and passenger rail, pipelines, and airports, with extra industries to observe.
The networks that assist these crucial infrastructures are mission-critical, which signifies that it’s important to have the ability to keep linked whereas securely administering coverage within the industrial house. Being an trade chief in networking and safety throughout each the data expertise (IT) and operational expertise (OT) domains, Cisco is in a singular place to ship an end-to-end safety technique, whereas enhancing operational uptime and resiliency.
To strengthen the cybersecurity posture of the nation’s crucial 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 Expertise (OT) system can proceed to soundly function if an Info Expertise (IT) system has been compromised.”
Utilizing a defense-in-depth strategy, 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 information is saved inside its personal digital community from supply to vacation spot, wherever that could be.
To assist the distinctive necessities of business networks, the attain of Cisco SD-WAN has been expanded by way of Cisco Industrial Routers, which offer the connectivity, mobility, and safety required for crucial 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 may be orchestrated throughout a number of enforcement factors within the community utilizing Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, or—in case your group prefers—can assist 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 forestall unauthorized entry to Essential Cyber Methods.” As OT gadgets traverse each the LAN and the WAN with a unified id, Cisco can implement coverage in all places. Cisco Safety Group Tags (SGTs) determine the function {that a} gadget has on the community, and the related privileges are enforced by switches, routers, and firewalls, relying on the place the info flows.
Distant customers, whether or not inside technicians or vendor assist, typically want entry to crucial cyber methods. Cisco Safe Gear Entry (SEA) supplies versatile entry for distant configuration and upkeep of business belongings in distributed areas whereas minimizing safety threat.
Steady monitoring
Segmentation just 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 Essential Cyber System operations,” we are able to regularly monitor and consider the belief of each customers and gadgets on our networks and push coverage again into the community as safety posture modifications.
To supply visibility and safety posture to the commercial 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 expensive Switched Port Analyzer (SPAN) options. Cyber Imaginative and prescient identifies belongings, their traits, and their communication patterns to “cut back the chance of exploitation of unpatched methods by way of the appliance of safety patches and updates for working methods, purposes, drivers and firmware on Essential Cyber Methods in a well timed method utilizing a risk-based methodology.” Cyber Imaginative and prescient robotically identifies gadget vulnerabilities and calculates threat scores so you possibly can proactively construct an enchancment course of to handle dangers.
Cisco’s capabilities, highlighted above, not solely meet the present TSA Cybersecurity Directive necessities but in addition allow shoppers to ship extra strong cybersecurity capabilities to thwart efforts by trade 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 study extra about how Cisco might 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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