Companies execute on joint strategy to address IT/OT convergence by providing visibility and automated access controls to secure mission critical networks
ForeScout Technologies has announced it has teamed up with with Belden to help organisations mitigate detrimental impacts to safety, quality and productivity in their industrial automation and control networks caused by cyber events. Through this strategic partnership ForeScout and Belden deliver secure network access, comprehensive device visibility and dynamic network segmentation capabilities in industrial environments powered by Belden infrastructure.
ForeScout formed a strategic alliance with Belden companies, Tripwire and Hirschmann to offer a best-of-breed solution for operational technology (OT) security. Research indicates that cybersecurity incidents in industrial control environments originate from multiple vectors such as system vulnerabilities, network architecture loopholes, lack of network segmentation and unsecured hardware and software configuration. (*)
“The convergence of IT and OT is shepherding unforeseen levels of interconnectivity among business networks and industrial automation environments,” said Pedro Abreu, chief strategy officer, ForeScout. “Because OT networks may no longer be air-gapped, threats such as WannaCry and NotPetya that target traditional IT devices have caused immense collateral damage to OT and industrial environments. Through our strategic alliance and integrations with Belden and others, ForeScout is helping organisations elevate their security posture in critical infrastructure networks.”
Given the criticality of uptime and safety for industrial devices, they can be taken down for maintenance or patching only during finite maintenance windows, and it is not always possible to install security software or agents which can impact real-time performance. Belden customers can now leverage ForeScout’s active and passive discovery and profiling techniques in industrial environments to gain device insight without needing to take devices offline. They can also build and maintain an asset inventory of devices across ICS layers, ensure compliance with industry regulations and security standards, and make dynamic, policy-based decisions for network access control within industrial control networks.
“Industrial security continues to be a top priority and asset visibility is the first line of defence to prevent intrusions into the network,” said Dhrupad Trivedi, executive vice president and chief technology officer of Belden and president of Tripwire. “By partnering, we further strengthen our Industrial Cybersecurity Suite to expand our asset detection and system hardening capabilities while introducing ForeScout’s industry leading network access control and segmentation capabilities to our IT and OT customers.”
Additional benefits include:
- Discover, profile and monitor industrial devices connected to Hirschmann network infrastructure and create a consolidated asset inventory of devices across ICS layers
- Gain asset intelligence for devices, such as human machine interfaces (HMIs), programmable logic controllers (PLCs), remote terminal units (RTUs), engineering workstations, historians and more
- Identify rogue or improperly connected devices on the network to mitigate system risk and avoid accidental downtime and unintended operational disruption
- Provide secure network access and minimise security exposure by limiting service personnel and maintenance equipment access to required sub-systems only
- Segment assets and sub-systems that share common security requirements into security zones based on factors such as criticality and consequence
- Control access to sensitive and confidential data by making network access and dynamic authorisation decisions based on device and user profiles, connectivity location, device integrity and security posture
- Orchestrate information sharing and policy-based security workflows with leading IT security and management products, including Tripwire IP360, to assess compliance and accelerate incident response.
About ForeScout
ForeScout Technologies, Inc. helps make the invisible visible. ForeScout provides Global 2000 enterprises and government agencies with agentless visibility and control of traditional and IoT devices the instant they connect to the network. ForeScout technology integrates with disparate security tools to help organisations accelerate incident response, break down silos, automate workflows and optimise existing investments. Learn more at www.forescout.com.
About Belden
Belden Inc., a global leader in high-quality, end-to-end signal transmission solutions, delivers a comprehensive product portfolio designed to meet the mission-critical network infrastructure needs of industrial and enterprise markets. With innovative solutions targeted at reliable and secure transmission of rapidly growing amounts of data, audio and video needed for today’s applications, Belden is at the centre of the global transformation to a connected world. Founded in 1902, the company is headquartered in St. Louis and has almost 10,000 employees globally, and manufacturing capabilities in North and South America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.belden.com or follow Belden on Twitter @BeldenInc.
About Tripwire
Tripwire is a leading provider of security, compliance and IT operations solutions for enterprises, industrial organisations, service providers and government agencies. Tripwire solutions are based on high-fidelity asset visibility and deep endpoint intelligence combined with business context; together these solutions integrate and automate security and IT operations. Tripwire’s portfolio of enterprise-class solutions includes configuration and policy management, file integrity monitoring, vulnerability management, log management, and reporting and analytics. Learn more at www.tripwire.com, get security news, trends and insights at www.tripwire.com/blog/ or follow Tripwire on Twitter @TripwireInc.
References –
(1) – http://www2.schneider-electric.com/documents/support/white-papers/white-paper-cybersecurity-for-industrial-automation-control.pdf
