Industrial Defender, Inc. (Industrial Defender) has introduced a new Fourth Generation Technology Suite. The new suite provides the complete cyber security solution for industrial control and SCADA systems. The new version of suite includes enhancements to all cyber security defense layers, offering the Defense-in-Depth cyber security protection solution for electric power generation, energy management control centers and transmission substations.

The Fourth Generation Technology Suite also provides cyber security protection for other critical infrastructure industries, including the oil and gas, water, transportation and chemical sectors.

With this release, North American electric providers now have a comprehensive security event management (SEM), secure authentication, access control and compliance management solution. Enhancements include a single repository for monitoring, collecting, aggregating, reporting and archiving data to assist bulk electricity asset owners and operators with meeting the approaching NERC CIP compliance deadlines.

Access Manager 4 is a secure remote access and authentication solution which provides centralized and decentralized access topologies, and is hardware and protocol agnostic for easy deployment. Access Manager is fully integrated into the Industrial Defender SEM console for consolidated reporting, centralized monitoring, management and access control. Key features include:

Secure access and authentication for electric power substations and remote sites;

Comprehensive AutoAudit reporting to support NERC CIP compliance requirements;

Centralized and decentralized support for user authorization and authentication; and,

Active Directory support for single point administration and group management.

SEM 4 enhances the ability of process control SCADA system users to collect, alert and analyze security log data to simplify compliance and quickly respond to high risk security events. Key features include:

Enhanced third-party device monitoring support, including Cisco firewalls and switches;

Support for GarrettCom routers and Bow Networks Crossbow IED servers; and,

Access Manager data sharing for consolidated reporting of all critical cyber asset data for NERC CIP auditing.

Compliance Manager provides data collection and archiving of auditable events and configuration settings from DCS, SCADA, HMI workstations, electronic security perimeter devices and other critical cyber assets. Key features include:

Enhanced audit reporting through automated interpretation of log events;

Built-in report templates for critical infrastructure compliance regulations including NERC CIP; and,

Ad-hoc reporting capabilities for custom report generation.

Additional features of the Fourth Generation Technology Suite include new Network Intrusion Detection Sensors (NIDS), Host Intrusion Detection System (HIDS) enhancements, Industrial Security Rules, IEC 60870-5-104 and ODVA Ethernet/IP (CIP) protocol support, as well as a new Guard 110 UTM/Firewall, which is used to establish Electronic Security Perimeter (ESP) protection.

The Obama administration has made some very positive movements in securing the nation’s critical infrastructure. Recently introduced cyber security legislation by Congress, including the bills proposed by Senators John Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), the Critical Electric Infrastructure Protection Act proposed by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn) and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), as well as the Bulk Power System Protection Act proposed by Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif), all underscore the need for greater cyber security protection of the US’ critical infrastructure operating systems.

Quotes:

Our customers and partners continue to voice the need for critical infrastructure cyber security solutions to secure their critical cyber assets, while also meeting stringent compliance regulations, said Brian M. Ahern, president and chief executive officer, Industrial Defender. The release of the Industrial Defender Fourth Generation Technology Suite demonstrates our aggressive technology investment strategy to provide industry-leading security and compliance solutions for critical infrastructures.

There are fundamental changes occurring in the modernization of the United States critical infrastructure (e.g. utility, energy, chemical, transportation), and the key areas of reliability and security. There are similar changes under consideration in other parts of the world, noted Earl Perkins, research vice president, Gartner, Inc. In the particular field of cyber security, there is significant momentum and growth in the market for solution providers, and Gartner believes these solutions will play a vital role in protecting critical infrastructure and ensuring the reliability needed by citizens and business alike.

Industrial Defender is a US-based provider of completely integrated Defense-in-Depth cyber security solution.