Feature Security
Advice for industrial control system security best practice
A new white paper by three leading industrial security experts, including Eric Byres of Byres Security describes infection pathways by malware such as the well publicised Stuxnet worm and discusses how to protect SCADA systems
Byres Security pro- vides practical and effective industrial network security and SCADA security products that are simple to imple- ment and that do not require plant shutdowns
ric Byres, CTO of Byres Security, Andrew Gintner, CTO of Abterra Technologies and Joel Langill, CSO of
SCADAhacker.com have released a joint white paper entitled ‘How stuxnet spreads - a study of infec- tion paths in best practice systems.’ It is claimed to be the first paper to detail how Stuxnet could infect a control system site protected by a high security architecture using modern, vendor-rec- ommended best practices. The paper shows that current best practices are insufficient to block advanced threats. It then discusses what operators of con- trol and SCADA systems need to do to protect their critical systems from future threats of this type.
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Stuxnet is the first known malware to have been designed specifically to compromise a control system and sab- otage an industrial process. It has been described by Symantec’s forensic experts as the ‘most sophisticated’ piece of malware they have ever seen. The paper follows the progress of the worm as it moves through a hypo- thetical control system, configured according to vendor-recommended security best practices. In spite of strong security measures, the worm is able to compromise a sequence of machines, culminating in the compro- mise of the PLC devices which directly control the physical process. While Stuxnet is presumed to have targeted the Siemens WinCC and PCS7 systems used at Iran’s uranium enrich- ment plants, its existence creates a new cyber security standard for all automation and critical infrastructure sites around the world. Andrew Ginter remarks: “The Stuxnet worm is the best-documented example of an advanced threat designed to sabotage an industrial control system. Other recent attacks have targeted control systems for industrial espionage. Control systems are now targets of advanced threats and today’s best- practice defenses must be improved before they can stand against these kinds of adversaries.”
“By explaining how Stuxnet works, our paper helps security professionals
understand what it takes to properly secure a state-of-the art industrial con- trol system,” says Joel Langill. “The reality is that the majority of critical facilities are protected much less thor- oughly than the hypothetical site described in our paper, and now they need to step up and protect against Stuxnet-like malware.”
“Our paper goes into great detail on Stuxnet infection pathways and high- lights the difficulty of preventing infection from an advanced threat. While best practices for prevention should be implemented, control system operators should also put into practice early detection, mitigation, and containment strategies,” remarks Eric Byres.
“Such strategies include putting into practice zone-based security as described in ANSI/ISA-99 Standards, paying particular attention on securing last line of defense critical systems, and understanding the unique security challenges of control systems versus IT systems.”
The paper concludes that changes to improve the cyber security of indus- trial control systems are urgently needed. The white paper can be down- loaded at
tofinosecurity.com/how- stuxnet-spreads
Byres Security T: +1 250 390 1333
www.tofinosecurity.com
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