Industrial network security

Industrial environments face cybersecurity challenges that differ fundamentally from traditional IT. Legacy systems, long equipment lifecycles, and the need for continuous uptime create a uniquely exposed attack surface - one that regulations like NIS2 and IEC 62443 now demand you address.

“How secure is our OT environment today?”
“Where are our biggest risks?”
“Which improvements should we prioritise first?”

The OT Cybersecurity Assessment by HMS Networks provides clear answers to these questions, along with practical, actionable steps to help you build a resilient and secure OT environment.

A large automated factory should divide its machines and production lines into separate zones, using firewalls and gateways between them for security. This is based on the ISA/IEC 62443 model, which reduces risks and potential impacts. North/South traffic is managed by industrial firewalls that monitor and control all communication, while East/West traffic is handled by gateways that only allow industrial protocol data, blocking other IP communication between zones.

For assets of critical importance to the operational process deep inspection capabilities can be enforced. Functionality called Deep Packet Inspection has the capability to decode the user-level protocol and be specific about what operational procedures are allowed and should be blocked. In this way you for instance can block PLC write request while still allowing read. Anybus Defender can decode recorded traffic itself to make a suggested DPI ruleset for industrial protocols automatically.

In this interview, Thomas Vasen, Business Development Manager for Network Security at Anybus, discusses the growing challenges of cybersecurity in industrial environments.

He highlights how the rapid digitalization of industrial networks has expanded the risk of cyberattacks, especially with the shift from older serial networks to Ethernet-based systems. Vasen emphasizes the importance of network segmentation to limit the impact of cyber incidents and protect operational continuity.