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Articles by Ron Brash
Stop Overthinking OT Security: The Total Cost of Ownership and Being Smart with Refreshes
In the first blog we outlined the Starter Pack framework for getting your OT security program off the ground by focusing on the People, Process, and Technology aspects to getting started with your OT security program. In this second blog, we dive into the importance of planning for what’s coming, unpacking OT security solution pricing and total cost of ownership (TCO), while also laying out some practical steps for getting your program started by using technology refresh cycles.
Stop Overthinking OT Security: People, Process and Technology
Picture this: A security manager sits down with a whiteboard and a mandate from leadership to finally get serious about OT security across the organization. The plan starts to take shape — dozens of security appliances spanning multiple plant sites, SPAN ports configured on every critical network segment, and a monitoring architecture that would deliver the kind of deep visibility the team has never had before.
Harnessing FACT for Swift Cyberthreat Response
In the cybersecurity world, anticipation and rapid response are crucial in safeguarding against emerging threats. Recent events, such as the discovery of a vulnerability in the XZ Utils library used in many software applications, underscore this need. For background, a weakness was deliberately created in the open-source compression library liblzma (XZ).
Evolving Threats and Regulations in Software Supply Chain Security
2023 is in the rearview mirror and 2024 is now well underway. I wanted to post my thoughts on some of the software supply chain trends we saw last year and how they will continue to shape the efforts of the cybersecurity community as we embark on 2024. Unfortunately, software supply chain attacks delivering a malicious malware payload are still on the rise. They are growing at a rate of 1900% over the last 3 years according to Sonatype — and this trend makes total sense.
Suncor Energy cybersecurity incident once again highlights need for cyber resilience, operational continuity
Recent cybersecurity attacks, such as the Suncor Energy incident, once again serve as a reminder to the energy sector to prioritize cybersecurity and invest in robust security measures to safeguard critical infrastructure and maintain operational continuity. It is crucial to strengthen cybersecurity measures and enhance both internal and third-party security protocols. Cyber attacks can disrupt supply chains, cripple economies, and destabilize national security.
Log4j: Panic or lesson? How to protect deployed assets
Courtesy of Brett Sayles Nearly every week the cybersecurity community buzzes around a newly discovered vulnerability or breach. December’s alert for the CVE-2021-4428 vulnerability in Apache Foundation’s Log4j software is no different. Also known as the Log4Shell vulnerability, it is present within the log4j-core library commonly used for logging in Java applications. These applications are widely deployed in a huge variety of environments, and the potential for extensive impact is real.
Five steps to build an ICS cybersecurity program with IEC 62443 Standards
The ISA/IEC 62443 cybersecurity documents contain a lot of guidance that easily overwhelms or confuses people when unpacking its components. It covers a range of topics including how to: Build a Cybersecurity Management System (CSMS) Structure industrial cybersecurity assessments (while not replacing actual ISA 84, for example) Define security requirements for several Foundational Requirement (FR) areas Define, determine, apply and evaluate target Security Levels (SL).
Getting prepared: Tabletops and scripts to act through a ransomware event
With the recent deluge of ransomware event articles discussing risks, likelihood, payment options and proposed solutions, it’s a good idea to take a step back to see where one stands with regard to preparedness, response and recovery. If someone has had a risk or vulnerability assessment in the last several years, the organization was likely advised to take steps to help prevent and prepare for a large-scale malware or ransomware event.
Key takeaways from 2020 ICS-CERT vulnerabilities
In 2020, the Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT) issued 248 cybersecurity advisories for public consumption on the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) ICS-CERT portal. Verve analyzed all these advisories, regardless of whether they came from large or small vendors to ensure accuracy even for geographies where the primary vendors are lesser-known. We then compared them to 2019 releases.
Upgrading industrial PC cybersecurity in manufacturing
Learning Objectives Cybersecurity attacks against manufacturers and other industrial sites are growing every year. When developing a cybersecurity plan, is best to look at it through the lens of business risk reduction and enabling innovation. Industrial PCs need to be put on the front line of cybersecurity efforts and constantly monitored and patched to prevent attacks from happening. It is no secret our world is more connected than ever.
How to protect OT/ICS systems from ransomware attacks
Between May 6 and May 12, 2021, Colonial Pipeline, owner of 5,500 miles of pipeline carrying natural gas, gasoline, and diesel from Texas to New Jersey, shut down its operations in response to what it said was a ransomware attack targeting its information technology (IT) network.
AI/ML goes mainstream
Signs seemingly abound that artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are moving beyond research and development and into operations, in the oil & gas industry and beyond. Commercialization of AI/ML is challenged primarily by 1) the need to normalize and unify data drawn from dozens of sources and 2) the need to operationalize and scale applications.
Colonial Pipeline Attack: Lessons Learned for Ransomware Protection
After a weekend of hundreds of posts about the Colonial Pipeline ransomware event, we thought some “Monday morning quarterbacking” was in order. As with all cyberattacks, one must be cautious when reacting to news headlines and not depend too heavily on public reports in the first 48 hours of an ongoing incident. Even Monday, almost 72 hours later, the view of what happened at Colonial remains cloudy.
#HowTo: Leverage Existing ICS Security Investments to Effectively Reduce Cyber Risk
Almost daily, we hear of a new cyber-related breach or ransomware attack, and new technologies promising to solve all the world’s cybersecurity ailments. Some of this is reality, some is the result of various decisions and some is fiction. The truth of the matter is most industrial organizations struggle to grasp their cyber risk exposure and improve their cybersecurity maturity. Cyber incidents often occur due to misconfigurations or credential compromise.
Move the manufacturing enterprise to the cloud
Attendees are eligible for a certificate of completion. Technology associated with the Industrial Revolution 4.0 has brought transactional applications, near-real time control and analytics to the cloud. Although migrating manufacturing data away from an on-premise environment can be challenging, it has huge potential to enable transformative reporting for everything from managing inventory to detecting waste to forecasting maintenance. This begs the question: how do I get started?
Quantum dot array could lead to efficient power devices
A new path toward sending and receiving information with single photons of light has been discovered by an international team of researchers led by the University of Michigan. Their experiment demonstrated the possibility of using an effect known as nonlinearity to modify and detect extremely weak light signals, taking advantage of distinct changes to a quantum system to advance next generation computing.
How to resolve a conflict before it manifests itself
The world is full of conflicts both large and small. The typical industrial workplace is no different. Even within us there are conflicts between competing impulses. Controlling what one eats is a struggle for many of us. Binge-watching favorite television series instead of exercising is another example. The costs vary depending on the activity and the level of participation associated with that activity.
How to protect embedded systems in OT cybersecurity
Many wonder where to start when securing embedded systems? Here are two pieces of information that can help guide you when understanding cybersecurity issues for embedded devices and the never-ending knowledge acquisition process: Reflect on what you learned yesterday, a week ago and then a month ago. First, you need to give yourself credit. Second, know that tomorrow you might restart that entire journey, but today, you clearly know more than you did yesterday. Be comfortable being uncomfortable.
Mobilizing secure, real-time remote operations for Industry 4.0
Today’s plant or factory operator has become a multi-faceted, data-empowered, critical facet of the manufacturing process who is able to leverage data from many sources, make objective decisions based on complex, real-time information, and understand the system to solve problems. Mobility technology is transforming the smart manufacturing environment.
Winter Driving as a Comparison to Ransomware Realities
Driving in winter can be a perilous, high-risk, and minimal risk all at the same time in the colder areas of the world. And when someone buys a car, often they buy one that is not the best suited or engineered for colder conditions, and yet, such a purchase can be both risky, and not risky at the same time, depending on driver skill (also called the driver mod/modification by enthusiasts).
Five ways to reduce ransomware risk in OT environments
An aerial view of the US Cyber Command joint operations center on the NSA campus. The NSA and CISA have issued a joint alert warning that operational technologies and industrial control systems are at risk to attackers over the internet. Today’s columnist, Ron Brash of Verve Industrial Protection, offers tips for security pros on how to reduce ransomware risk in OT environments. Photo credit: Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images.
Security Decision Starts with Education
Wednesday, February 27, 2019 @ 10:02 AM gHale By Ron Brash and Marc-Etienne Bergeron Within the confusing sea of security feature claims by vendors and experts, just how could an asset owner or decision maker ever choose the correct solution? The answer begins with education on three sides: Asset owners/organizations; industry experts, and vendors and integrators.
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