Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

Why You Need to Take Back Control of User Access Now!

Xona Systems, a leading provider of secure access management solutions for critical infrastructure, is partnered with Barrier Networks, a managed security service provider for industrial organisations, to deliver a comprehensive, fully managed secure access solution for critical OT environments. The partnership combines Xona’s cutting-edge secure access platform with Barrier’s deep operational cyber security expertise.

In today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape, user access control is the single most important, foundational cybersecurity priority for critical infrastructure owners and operators. Attackers continue to exploit weaknesses including legacy remote access mechanisms, and the consequences are severe. A few indicative statistics of this priority include.

The ability to control and monitor who has access to critical systems is a fundamental pillar of cybersecurity. However, many organizations today struggle with fragmented identity management, leaving their operational technology (OT), industrial control systems (ICS), and/or cyber physical systems (CPS) environments vulnerable to security breaches, compliance violations, unnecessary business risks, and operational inefficiencies.

Xona, the leading provider of secure access solutions for critical infrastructure, is proud to announce a strategic partnership with OTconnect, a cybersecurity leader specializing in securing Industrial Control Systems. This collaboration brings together Xona’s cutting-edge secure access management platform with OTconnect’s hands-on cybersecurity expertise to deliver a fully managed, scalable remote access solution tailored for critical OT environments.

Until recent decades, operational technology (OT) – a principal element in manufacturing – remained segmented from information technology (IT). OT systems, responsible for monitoring and controlling physical machinery and equipment, were manually managed by skilled workers, operated in isolation, and secure in their simplicity.

The demand for technology that can support secure user access, both remote and onsite, has expanded beyond IT environments to include the operational technology (OT) and industrial control systems (ICS) that enable organizations in a variety of critical infrastructure (CI) sectors to function. However, the priorities of IT environments (i.e., the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data).

SANS released its annual ‘State of ICS/OT Cybersecurity’ report in October 2022. It reflects survey results from 332 ICS/OT organizations representing a range of industrial verticals.

A new report on Operational Technology (OT) equipment flaws from automated cybersecurity software company Forescout outlines the alarming state of OT security. The report titled OT:ICEFALL was crafted by researchers at the company’s Vedere lab. It breaks down 56 vulnerabilities affecting 26 devices from 10 vendors in OT.

Troubling new malware designed to facilitate attacks on a wide array of critical infrastructure – from oil refineries and power plans, to water utilities and factories – is raising concerns for its versatility. The malware, named Pipedream by Dragos and Incontroller by Mandiant, who have both tracked and researched the toolkit, is potentially capable of gaining full system access to multiple industrial control systems (ICS) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) devices.