New Technologies Adding Cybersecurity Risks

As useful as new technology is to business and government agencies alike, they ultimately provide new avenues for hackers to exploit. The security technologies in question are SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) and ICS (Industrial Control Systems). The challenges both systems currently face are for the services they provide to organizations and the hacking vulnerabilities they face as they continue to grow. According to a survey by Forrester Consulting called “Center Security on Advanced Technology” 42% of groups using SCADA/ICS report they’ve experienced a security breach in the past two years. The additional number of IoT (Internet of Things) services includes a growing number of those with access to the technology.

SCADA/ICS technologies OT (Operational Technology) infrastructures are known for infrastructure and IoT services. That means control systems for energy and utilities, environmental control systems, manufacturing, oil pipelines, and much more. It’s easy to see the hacking concern these technologies have as SCADA/ICS services continue to grow at a rate of over 6% annually. The Forrester survey also finds a minimum 70% of organizations using these services are seriously concerned with outside malware attacks/hacking as well as hackers working inside as employees.

From this survey, it’s clear that together with increased services and access comes added exposure to hacking. In terms of a global approach to this problem, Dan Coats, U.S. Director of National Intelligence, warned about the possibility of a “crippling cyberattacks on our critical infrastructure” by foreign forces growing – mainly from Russia and China. The concern with Russia is attacks on our democratic institutions. There is no shortage of media coverage of this. And for China, it’s stealing military secrets and industrial intellectual property.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom for SCADA/ICS technologies. There are many security steps available to bolster these systems and the services they provide.

The report found that more than 60% of the organizations surveyed gave significant, even complete access to a third party to their systems. This does add additional risk that needs to be addressed when handling such important data and having access to these infrastructure systems. Prioritizing and using security options is the first step toward their cyber-resilience. These should include:

• Regularly reviewing and complying with security and industry standards
• Centralizing device management
• Consulting with organizations such as the Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT)
• Securing network infrastructure
• Using segmented networks where possible
• Using access controls. Only provide access to who needs it and to what level is necessary and no more
• Ensuring endpoint and peripheral protections are in place
• Ensuring all systems are patched, updated, and backed up regularly
• Implementing a comprehensive, continual security awareness and education program to help employees and contractors stay ahead of current cybersecurity trends

So just when you think there is nothing you can do, take a moment to review what you are doing. Most of the time there is room for improvement in any process or set of operational guidelines.