Securing Industrial Control Systems (ICS) networks with Elisity

Securing Industrial Control Systems (ICS) networks has never been more crucial, especially as cyber threats targeting critical infrastructure continue to grow. One key aspect of securing ICS networks is implementing micro-segmentation, a concept that has proven to be effective, yet challenging to apply.

That's where Elisity comes in, providing a powerful and innovative solution that simplifies micro-segmentation for ICS networks. In this blog, we'll explore:

• The importance of ICS network security
• The difficulties in implementing micro-segmentation
• How Elisity addresses these challenges head-on

So, buckle up and join us as we dive into the world of ICS network security with Elisity!

IEC 62443 Standard and Its Importance

The IEC 62443 standard is an internationally recognized set of guidelines designed to help organizations protect their Industrial Control Systems (ICS) networks from cyber threats. With the increasing number of cyber-attacks targeting critical infrastructure, adhering to this standard is essential for organizations to ensure the security and resilience of their ICS networks.

This comprehensive standard covers a wide range of aspects, including:

• System design: Outlining best practices for designing secure ICS networks.
• Secure development practices: Encouraging organizations to adopt secure coding techniques and processes.
• Implementation of robust security controls: Ensuring proper security measures, such as network segmentation, are in place to protect against cyber threats.

Network segmentation plays a critical role in mitigating the risk of cyber-attacks.

Introducing the Elisity Platform

Enter the Elisity platform, an innovative solution that simplifies the process of implementing micro-segmentation in ICS networks, enabling organizations to meet the IEC 62443 standard's segmentation requirements with ease. The Elisity platform helps organizations achieve rapid time-to-value by not requiring additional hardware or changes to their existing network architecture.

With its powerful features, such as:

• Identity-based policies: Enabling organizations to create security policies based on users' roles, responsibilities, and access requirements.
• Real-time traffic flow visualization: Providing security engineers with a visual representation of network traffic, allowing them to monitor and analyze the effects of their policies.
• Automatic rule set insertion: Streamlining the process of implementing security policies by automating the insertion of rules into the network.

Elisity empowers security engineers to build and deploy least privileged access policies with confidence. By choosing the Elisity platform, organizations can strengthen their ICS network security, effectively comply with the IEC 62443 standard, and safeguard their critical infrastructure against cyber threats.

Defining Zones and Policy Groups with Elisity

With the Elisity platform, defining zones and policy groups becomes a breeze, providing a user-friendly interface to create zones based on various criteria such as device type, role, or location. By categorizing assets within the ICS network, security engineers can develop a clear understanding of the communication requirements between these assets.

Once the zones and policy groups are defined, building conduits and policies in Elisity is a straightforward process. Security engineers can easily define allowed communication between zones using specific protocols and ports, ensuring that only necessary connections are permitted.

With the platform's real-time traffic flow visualization and its ability to display the impact of policies before deployment, engineers can create and fine-tune their policies with confidence, minimizing the risk of unintended network disruptions.

Policy Deployment and Management in Elisity

Policy deployment and management with confidence is a cornerstone of the Elisity platform. With its unique features, such as the ability to save policies without immediate deployment, security engineers can ensure minimal disruption to their network operations.

The platform's traffic flow visualization allows engineers to see the real-time impact of their policies, offering a clear understanding of the affected users, devices, and applications before policy deployment.

The Elisity platform empowers organizations to rapidly implement effective micro-segmentation, fulfilling IEC 62443 requirements within weeks without adding additional hardware or changing their existing network architecture. In conclusion, the Elisity platform stands out as a powerful tool for organizations looking to enhance their ICS network security and adhere to the IEC 62443 standard.

Conclusion and Next Steps

In conclusion, the Elisity platform offers a comprehensive and innovative solution for securing ICS networks by simplifying the implementation of micro-segmentation. It addresses the challenges associated with meeting the IEC 62443 standard, enabling organizations to strengthen their network security and protect their critical infrastructure from cyber threats.

By providing features such as:

• User-friendly zone and policy group creation: Simplifying the process of organizing network assets and establishing secure communication pathways.
• Real-time traffic flow visualization: Enabling security engineers to monitor and analyze network traffic and the effects of implemented policies.
• Flexible policy deployment options: Allowing organizations to carefully plan and execute policy changes while minimizing network disruptions.

The Elisity platform empowers security engineers to create and manage effective security policies with confidence.

To learn more about the Elisity platform and how it can revolutionize your ICS network security strategy, consider taking the following steps:

1. Visit Elisity.com and explore its capabilities
2. Request a demo to see the platform in action
3. Contact the Elisity team for more information or to discuss your specific needs

By leveraging the Elisity platform, you can confidently enhance your ICS network security and adhere to the IEC 62443 standard.