Industrial Control Systems (ICS) in Cyber Security

Industrial Control Systems (ICS) is a collective term that describes the collaboration between different control systems (such as networks, devices, and controls). These control systems are used to automate or operate an industrial process.   

Do you know why learning about an ICS is significant?   

The number of ICS users is gradually increasing, and it is significant to ensure that the provided components can operate consistently in a wide range of industrial systems.  

Let us analyse a study conducted by Statista. According to its recent survey on cloud-based services for Operational Technology (OT) and Industrial Control Systems (ICS) used among worldwide organisations, the results were as follows – Around 49 per cent of respondents expressed that they use remote monitoring, operational analysis and configuration.  

Further in this blog, let us understand the essential concepts related to Industrial Control Systems (ICS) security. 

Table of Contents

1) What is ICS Security? 

2) Need for an Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Security 

3) What are the threats to Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Security? 

4) Best practices to be implemented in Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Security 

5) Conclusion 

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What is ICS Security?

An ICS security, also often referred to as an OT security, can be defined as an automated defence system set against threats and cyber-attacks to protect the Industrial Control Systems. ICS security can be used in a wide range of security services, including: 

a) Vulnerability Management 

b) Patch Management 

c) Protection and Detection of Network Intrusion 

d) Asset Inventory and Asset Detection 

e) Detection and Response of Endpoint 

f) User and Access Management 

Industrial Control Systems (ICS) focus on automation or industrial processes instead of other operating systems, such as medical devices, building controls, etc. The ICS provides control over the inputs and outputs of an operating system or processes to ensure proper and continuous workflow among a wide range of industrial systems. To ensure safe operations, the ICS process is usually adjustable. In case the performance gets out of certain boundaries, the safety mechanism will automatically shut down the processes.   

Following are a few examples of devices used for various automation that can be classified into ICS.

a) Programmable Logic controllers (PLCs) 

b) Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) 

c) Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs) 

d) Distributed Control Systems (DCS) 

e) Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) 

f) Safety Instrumented System (SIS) 

The image below represents the Industrial Control System (ICS) Architecture. 
 

Need for an Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Security

Let us list out a few essential needs of an ICS security system  

1) The devices themselves need help with conventional IT security procedures and equipment 

2) There are several possible effects as the potential impacts and priorities differ in most Cyber Security sectors. The emphasis on risk management must thus change as a result 

3) The incident identification and response require a detailed understanding of the impacted systems  

4) Finally, ICS security requires a unique mix of the control system and security expertise much scarcer than IT security resources 

Industrial control systems were created many years or even decades ago, and there need to be more knowledgeable professionals. The industry must combine IT security capabilities with these system experts to safeguard ICS.  

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What are the threats to Industrial Control Systems (ICS) security? 

Industrial Control Systems (ICS) security threats can emerge from various sources like malicious intruders, hostile governments, terrorist groups, and resentful employees. These threats to Industrial Control Systems (ICS) can appear in the form of distinct attacks in several ways, that includes: 

a) Lateral movement from IT networks 

b) Phishing attacks that can compromise your account credentials 

c) Vulnerable IoT and Inter-connected devices 

d) Malware and Ransomware attacks 

e) Insider threats like dissatisfied employees 

As the number of internet-connected components rises and gets integrated with the systems in the IT environment, Cyber Security threats also increase.   

Best practices to be implemented in Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Security 

To speed up the ICS Security system and to ensure it delivers the best performance, you need to implement these best practices as mentioned below: 

Observe Network Baselines: ICS networks should be observed to establish and maintain a baseline to detect new devices connected and raise the alarm if any anomalies are found.   

Execute ICS Asset Discovery: A complete understanding of ICS assets and a clear visibility over network connectivity is essential to enhance security. 

Achieve Network Segmentation: Earlier ICS networks were protected by air gaps that were no longer practised—protecting systems with firewalls that were not designed to connect to the Internet by interpreting ICS protocols and performing network segmentation. 

Establish an Intrusion Prevention System (IPS): Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) can be a hardware instrument or a software program. Deploying an IPS network security tool can help monitor and observe a network to take preventive measures to avoid any malicious activity being detected. Including an IPS can aid in identifying, reporting, blocking, or dropping any attempted exploitation of vulnerabilities in ICS systems. 

Administer Least Privilege: There can be inappropriate access to this dangerous functionality, as major ICS protocols do not establish access controls. Firewalls aware of ICS protocols need to be implemented to gain access to controls over ICS network traffic.    

Solidify Physical Access: An ICS Security system can be at risk, and the defence can be cracked open if its physical access has leeway for ICS assets. Hence, an ICS Security system needs to be protected from both the cyber and physical points of view. 

Secure Remote Access: Having remote access is vital for monitoring and managing ICS assets from different geographical locations. Nevertheless, the permit should be secured with strong authentication, encryption, and access control to safeguard against unauthorised access. 
 

Conclusion 

This blog has discussed Industrial Control Systems (ICS) from different perspectives. Possessing this knowledge is necessary to safeguard ICS security systems and with operational resilience. 

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