Process-oriented cybersecurity opens up new possibilities for protecting critical systems, especially in the infrastructure sector.
Operational technology and control systems are the backbone of infrastructure for essential services ranging from water and energy to the financial sector. In the past, these systems operated disconnected from external networks, creating a natural barrier to intrusions and reducing security risks. Not anymore today.
Global connectivity and the integration of IoT and cloud computing systems into critical infrastructures have exponentially increased business efficiency, but also opened up the possibility of never-before-seen risks. And this is a point of no return: the more networks connect, the more frequent attacks focused on control systems become.
If returning to the past of systems that could only be accessed physically is a utopia, we need to face head-on the security problem that will only become more serious in the future. It is necessary to take advantage of the opportunities brought by real-time monitoring to improve incident response from three points: improved detection, faster containment and more effective post-incident analysis.
In our view, these opportunities can only be taken advantage of from a new perspective: process-oriented cybersecurity.
Time to change paradigm
Traditional security solutions tend to focus on network systems, IT assets and control systems. This approach, however, ignores a non-programmable layer, where physical processes such as temperature, pressure and mechanical movements are produced. The use of process-oriented cybersecurity seeks to close this gap, focusing on the monitoring and direct protection of physical processes that underlie critical operations.
The coverage of this physical layer allows you to protect sensors that measure environmental variables and equipment that performs tasks such as opening valves. These are systems that do not have authentication or encryption capabilities – and, therefore, do not respond like traditional programmable systems, but are sensitive to other types of attacks, such as the injection of false data (Aurora-type attacks).
By continually analyzing operational parameters and comparing them to baseline conditions, this approach allows companies to detect anomalies that indicate malicious activity. As an example, we have:
- Ransomware: operational visibility remains valid when traditional layers become compromised;
- Injection of false data: the possibility of cross-referencing for feedback allows you to find discrepancies and identify data manipulations;
- Aurora Attacks: data monitoring allows you to detect subtle deviations in process parameters, before mechanical damage occurs.
In this way, by closing the gap between physical process layers, process-oriented cybersecurity ensures broad protection for critical operational infrastructure – something that programmable layers cannot achieve.
Four points for improvement
Using process-oriented cybersecurity, critical infrastructure companies can improve their incident response in four key aspects:
- Preparedness: process-oriented security improves organizations’ preparedness by adding a layer of real-time physical process monitoring that works even if computer systems are compromised.
- Detection: the inclusion of the physical equipment layer in the structure to be protected considerably increases the accuracy of anomaly detection. It becomes possible to identify any discrepancies more quickly, since higher-level information can be compared in real time to physical data.
- Containment: combating attacks becomes more effective, as the ability to isolate affected systems without interrupting the operation as a whole increases. This way, it is possible to find the root cause of problems more quickly and minimize the impact of cyberattacks.
- Post-incident activities: physical process information amplifies the ability for post-incident reviews, providing an extra source of detailed data for root cause analysis and eradication of security breaches.
As the sophistication of cyberattacks increases, the process-oriented approach paves the way for a range of improvements needed for companies to address contemporary security challenges. This paradigm closes critical gaps in detection, containment and recovery, giving companies more resilience and allowing rapid adaptation to a more complex and volatile scenario. Adopting this approach is essential for infrastructure companies, especially when thinking about long-term operational protection.
