Network monitoring groups forge partnership

SCADAfence agreed to partner with Gigamon to provide a joint cybersecurity solution to bring manufacturers additional visibility and detection capabilities and monitor the industrial environment.

By Gregory Hale, ISSSource August 27, 2016

In a move to bring manufacturers additional visibility and detection capabilities, an operational technology (OT) security provider and an information technology (IT) networking security provider are partnering in a move to monitor the industrial environment, SCADAfence agreed to partner with Gigamon to provide a joint cybersecurity solution.

With the industry just at the beginning stages of adopting the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), the idea of increased network visibility through a monitoring solution is becoming one of the hot trends in the industry. It only makes sense with more sensors bringing in more data and more connections from multiple locations, the attack surface for systems already under siege, remains poised to become much larger.

The hope is by adopting IIoT, manufacturers will become more productive, easier to manage and more cost-effective to operate. However, the major technology changes taking place have exposed mission critical systems. That is where more network visibility comes into play.

The partnership provides Gigamon’s technology to provide visibility of network traffic from across the industrial control system/supervisory control and data acquisition (ICS/SCADA) environment. The network traffic then goes to SCADAfence’s continuous monitoring solution, which analyzes the internal communications, including industrial protocols deep packet inspection (DPI).

The goal of the partnership is to:

  • Detect a variety of cyber-attacks, from previously-known malware and disclosed vulnerabilities to new, sophisticated attack vectors
  • Monitor and detect non-malicious operational threats such as misconfigurations and human errors
  • Increased, industrial protocol context-aware, network visibility including automatic asset discovery, asset inventory and network topology
  • Enhanced and faster response to events while determining root cause to minimize reoccurrence. 

Gregory Hale is the editor and founder of Industrial Safety and Security Source (ISSSource.com), a news and information Website covering safety and security issues in the manufacturing automation sector. This content originally appeared on ISSSource.com. Edited by Chris Vavra, production editor, CFE Media, Control Engineeringcvavra@cfemedia.com.

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