Operational technology (OT) is the use of hardware and software to monitor and control physical processes, devices, and infrastructure.

Operational technology systems are found across a large range of asset-intensive sectors, performing a wide variety of tasks ranging from monitoring critical infrastructure (CI) to controlling robots on a manufacturing floor. OT is used in a variety of industries including manufacturing, oil and gas, electrical generation and distribution, aviation, maritime, rail, and utilities. 

In this article will highlight on the OT security, especially SCADA system security, and will see how we can fortify our SCADA system against the cyber threats and attacks.

The Difference between IT and OT

In fact OT systems use almost the same tools as IT, but here the tools are designed to perform in a different ways. OT devices mostly interact with other machines, such as industrial control systems (ICS). Their purpose is to ensure that the ICS assets are operating correctly and meet the high availability and uptime requirements of these devices; while IT security focuses on securing confidentiality, integrity, and availability of systems and data.

What is OT security?

Gartner defines OT security as, “Practices and technologies used to

1. Protect people, assets, and information.
2. Monitor and/or control physical devices, processes and events.
3. Initiate state changes to enterprise OT systems.

OT security solutions include a wide range of security technologies from next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) to security information and event management (SIEM) systems to identity access and management, and much more.

In the past, OT cyber security was not necessary because OT systems were not connected to the internet. But nowadays everything is connected to the internet, and therefore the OT enjoinment is more open now to the cyber threats. 

Usually OT networks report goes to COO and IT networks report goes to CIO, that’s because they are separate from each other, which can duplicate the security efforts and make the mission to prevent and mitigate the risks more difficult, and performed by two separate teams.

Operational Technology the main Components

The main component of operational technology is Industrial control systems (ICS).

ICS includes different types of devices, systems, controls, and networks that manage a variety of industrial processes. The most common ICS are supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems and distributed control systems (DCS).

SCADA

SCADA is an industrial control system (ICS) that monitors and controls infrastructure processes. SCADA systems communicate and interact with devices and industrial equipment as part of control systems engineering processes. They gather data, record and log it, and present information through human-machine interfaces HMIs.

SCADA systems use computers, networks, and graphical human-machine interfaces (HMIs) to provide high-level control, management, and supervision of industrial processes. SCADA networks are crucial to industrial operations but are made up of hardware and software that can easily fall prey to hacking, which makes SCADA security increasingly important.

SCADA systems control and monitor industrial processes and machines across a wide range of industries, same like in: Manufacturing, energy, food processing, Oil and Gas.

SCADA security protects SCADA networks and prevents vulnerabilities from being exploited by cyber criminals, as SCADA systems may cost an organization between tens of thousands to millions of dollars. As a result, enterprises must deploy sophisticated SCADA security measures to safeguard their infrastructure and the millions of people who might be impacted by a disruption caused by an external attack or internal error.

What Threats and Vulnerabilities can affect my SCADA system?

One of the biggest SCADA cyber-attack happened is when attackers used Stuxnet developed by the US National Security Agency with the goal of stalling Iran’s nuclear development, unleashed in 2009 in the Middle East and gradually spread around the world.

SCADA systems in general are Vulnerable to many types of threats like: hackers, Malware, Terrorists, Insider Error which happened due to poor training or carelessness.

SCADA Security Best Practices

SCADA attacks are now commonplace and therefore all organization should follow kind of procedures to protect their operations and minimize the risk, bellow we had listed the best 10 practices should every SCADA security leader follow:

1. Analyze traffic for threats and Vulnerabilities: Security team should always analyze the network traffic for known and unknown threats. And for this they should integrate an NGFW that is capable of inspecting encrypted application traffic. Additionally, the NGFW should be integrated with a live-feed service to provide updates on the most common OT protocols and OT application vulnerabilities. A service of this type enables the NGFW to inspect OT application traffic and spot exploits. Real-time global intelligence alerts update the firewall so it can identify even new and sophisticated threats. When integrated with a compatible endpoint security solution.
   The optimal approach is integrating a SIEM that can map a real-time topology of the network and track and record security events. This approach yields correlation of information from different solutions to deliver context, minimize response time, and simplify reporting.
2. Network segmentation: Segmentation is a fundamental best practice for securing OT, as described in ISA/IEC-62443 (formerly ISA-99) security standards. These standards were created by the International Society of Automation (ISA) as ISA-99 and later renumbered 62443 to align with the corresponding International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards.
   The idea is to divide the network into a series of functional segments or “zones” (which may include subzones, or microsegments), and make each zone accessible only by authorized devices, applications, and users.
   ISA/IEC-62443 standards provide practical guidance on how to segment OT networks. Each zone is assigned a security level from 0 to 4, with 0 representing the lowest level of security and 4 the highest. Strict access controls limit access to each zone and conduit based on the authenticated identity of the user or device.
3. Enforce identity and access management: Identity control and access management is a Key to protect your SCADA system against the unauthorized access or the stolen credentials, OT organizations report that malware and phishing are the most common types of intrusions, that’s why we need to take care about using an g identity and access management (IAM) solutions by applying a role-based access for each user, using an MFA methods, enable SSO, authenticates devices attached to the network, and restricts access to only authenticated devices, locking down all other ports.
4. Increase network visibility: Discover any device attached anywhere on the IT-OT network, determine the degree of trust, and continuously monitor behavior to maintain a level of trust.
5. Regular Updates and Patching: For SCADA systems, where uptime is crucial, patches should be applied in a manner that minimizes downtime. It’s also important to have a rollback plan in case an update introduces new vulnerabilities or system incompatibilities. Regularly updating and patching systems involves not just applying the latest fixes, but also testing these updates in a controlled environment to ensure they don’t disrupt system stability.
6. Employee Training and Awareness: Organizations should create a culture of security awareness, and do a continues training programs to keep the employee up to date about the security procedures.
7. Assessments and Penetration Testing: This should be done by experienced professionals who can mimic the tactics and techniques of real-world attackers. This approach helps in understanding not just where the vulnerabilities are, but also how an attacker might exploit them and how the system would respond.
8. Incident Response Plan: A comprehensive incident response plan for a SCADA system should include specific procedures for different types of incidents, clear roles and responsibilities, and communication strategies for internal and external stakeholders.
9. Compliance with Industry Standards and Regulations: This involves staying abreast of and complying with standards like NERC CIP, ISA/IEC 62443, and others relevant to SCADA systems.
10. Choose the right OT cyber security vendor: When evaluating a security vendor, determine whether the vendor can offer solutions that will help you to achieve best practices for securing your SCADA network.

Conclusion

SCADA systems failure cause a big loss for the organization and sometimes affect the people life, that’s why it is very important to take care about OT security in general and follow the pest practice to insure that everything working well, also it is essential to share the knowledge about the threats and the vulnerabilities among the OT industry to fortify them against the attacks.