Siemens heightens industrial cyber security by detecting anomalies
April 10, 2018
Siemens will present a solution for detecting anomalies in industrial networks at the Hannover Messe 2018. “Industrial Anomaly Detection” enables security-related incidents, such as unauthorized intrusions and malware, to be identified and countermeasures to be taken. The software is pre-installed on an industrial PC (IPC), and easily integrated into industrial environments. Alternatively, it will be enabled to run on network components from Siemens, such as the multiservice platform Ruggedcom RX1500 with Ruggedcom APE. The solution is especially suitable for companies in the automobile production, aerospace, chemical, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and water/waste water industries.
Industrial Anomaly Detection begins by establishing transparency regarding the devices integrated into industrial networks (such as controllers and HMI devices) and the software installed on them. Having achieved that, the second step is to identify vulneabilities within devices on the network by matching assets with known vulnerabilities (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures/CVEs) and identifying other “network hygiene” configuration issues that need to be closed. The third step is to continuously monitor the devices’ communication behavior. The system collects the data passively, so it does not have any effect on production. It supports the products of all the current automation manufacturers and their protocols. If the solution detects deviations that might indicate unauthorized intrusions or misconfigurations, it automatically sends an alarm to the users. Depending on the criticality, the incidents can be dealt with by on-site experts or external security specialists.
The anomaly detection system also uses artificial intelligence (AI), which configures the system by a process of self-learning: The solution automatically analyzes the data traffic in the network in a “learning phase”, so that it can then detect anomalies, which might indicate intrusion or data theft by hackers.
“Industrial Anomaly Detection” is an important complement to the range of industrial security products and services offered by Siemens, which is based on the holistic Defense-in-Depth concept.
