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Choosing the Right Secure Remote Access Solution for OT: What to Consider in Today’s Digital Age

Vince Kuchar, CEO of RMC Global & Brad Bekampis, Senior Cybersecurity Specialist

As global industries embrace an interconnected digital era, secure remote access within operational technology (OT) environments stands out as a key element of sustaining seamless business operations.

In today’s dynamic digital realm, businesses are tasked not just with keeping stride, but with charting their unique path. Operational safety, scalability, and adaptability become paramount. It’s not merely about integrating secure remote access in OT environments, but about selecting the right architecture and solutions tailored to an organization’s specific needs. These choices are critical elements in ensuring the resilience of business operations in a constantly shifting digital landscape.

RMC Global stands at the forefront of the cybersecurity transformation taking place in OT, guiding enterprises through this fast-moving digital revolution. Let’s dive in and take a closer look at the crucial role secure remote access plays in the equation of modern-day operational efficiency and cybersecurity resilience.

Defining the Needs and Understanding the OT Environment

To effectively select and implement a remote access solution, it’s essential to understand the nuances of the OT environment and its unique requirements. Two primary factors are driving the rising demand for secure remote access:

  1. Business Intelligence and Process Monitoring: The growing need within the C-suite for detailed business intelligence and real-time process performance data has elevated the demand for remote access. This access provides direct insight into production processes, enhancing strategic planning and decision-making. Furthermore, the shortage of qualified automation engineers means they often need to support multiple sites concurrently, which is enabled by remote access. These requirements have generated a growing need for wide-ranging remote access across various site infrastructures.
  2. Remote Work Revolution: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered the workplace dynamic. Engineers who used to spend hours on-site at factories or water pumping stations can now efficiently monitor multiple sites from the comfort of their homes. This not only increases efficiency but has also become a ‘new normal’ in a post-pandemic world.

How to Evaluate Different Remote Access Solutions

It’s crucial to understand what secure remote access means in a practical context. Recognizing the need for remote access is just the beginning; what should companies prioritize when selecting a solution? Here are some key considerations:

  • Internal vs. External Access: There are two primary types of remote access—internal (originating from trusted sources within the company) and external (often coming from untrusted sources or vendors supporting the systems). While internal access places a premium on convenience and efficiency, external access demands heightened security. Not only does it necessitate the same level of accessibility as internal access, but it also incorporates the use of VPNs—Virtual Private Networks, which provide a secure and encrypted connection—and employs stricter access control measures to safeguard the integrity of the system.
  • Convenience vs. Security: OT differs from Information Technology (IT) in its unique challenge of balancing convenience and security. For example, while it’s secure to have engineers enter separate credentials for each piece of equipment they access, this can be burdensome and inefficient in real-world applications.
  • Control Over Sessions: Especially when external vendors are involved, the plant should maintain full control over the remote session. They should have the ability to initiate, monitor, and terminate sessions as needed, ensuring that vendors can’t log in without the plant’s knowledge.

The Convergence of IT and OT

Over time, the boundaries between IT and OT have become increasingly indistinct. This blending means that challenges and solutions typically associated with the IT sphere are becoming ever more pertinent within the OT realm. However, a fundamental distinction persists: OT’s core objective is to manage and maintain production operations safely. Remote access facilitates the daily management and upkeep of these physical processes for engineers. Therefore, while remote access might be a more routine concern in the IT domain, within OT, a compromised remote access can disrupt vital operations, leading to substantial real-world repercussions.

Ensuring Scalability and Flexibility for Future Challenges

Businesses must anticipate tomorrow’s challenges when evaluating remote access solutions for OT environments. Scalability, at its essence, allows a system to expand and manage increased demand. In the context of remote access, it means effortlessly handling more users as a company grows, smoothly integrating new geographic territories, and readily adapting to technological advancements.

The constant evolution of cyber threats emphasizes the importance of flexibility. A resilient remote access solution should not only address today’s security concerns but also be agile enough to evolve with emerging challenges. Each organization possesses a unique risk profile and set of operational requirements, making the need for flexible, tailored solutions paramount. In the digital age, opting for a remote access solution that champions both scalability and flexibility is not just advantageous—it’s indispensable.

In parallel to these concerns, Incident Response (IR) teams play an integral role in maintaining this resilience. These teams must possess the capabilities to identify and promptly respond to instances of malicious remote access. This reinforces the need for regular audits and exercises, ensuring that businesses remain vigilant and uphold a robust defensive posture against evolving threats.

The Feb. 2021 incident at a Florida water treatment facility stands as a stark testament to the potential dangers of compromised remote access and weak credentials. Despite subsequent reporting questioning the details of the breach, it underscores the importance of evaluating remote access solutions, understanding the unique challenges posed by OT environments, and the constant tension between convenience and security.

As we’ve discussed, while the imperative for secure remote access in OT is heightened by evolving business demands and a shifting global work landscape, it comes with its set of challenges. Implementing remote access introduces potential risks if not executed securely. Sound architecture, consistent implementation and updating of security controls, vigilant monitoring, and the proactive measures of IR teams are all vital to mitigate these risks. Regular audits and exercises are essential to ensuring that businesses maintain a strong defensive stance in this digital age.

When implementing a new system or refining an existing one, a holistic and nuanced understanding of the security implications is key. Navigating these intricacies may seem daunting, but remember, you don’t have to go it alone.

For insights tailored to your operational needs, let RMC Global’s experienced team be your compass. Stay updated with industry developments by joining our LinkedIn community. Also, don’t miss out on the latest in OT cyber resilience on our News & Perspectives website. 

ICS/OT Cybersecurity: 2023’s Challenges and Tomorrow’s Defenses

As the threats to industrial control systems evolve, our strategies and tactics as network defenders must keep apace. To aid in this effort, SANS has recently released the results of an ICS/OT cybersecurity survey, which polls security practitioners and decision makers from a wide range of industrial verticals, including energy, chemical, critical manufacturing, nuclear, water management and others. This survey provides us with valuable insights into the nature of the real-world threats that control systems operators face every day. It also yields a wealth of information about industry trends and ICS/OT security priorities, from the field. Read RMC’s main takeaways below. 

Download your copy today 

Most organizations still have immature ICS/OT security programs

When asked about planned future initiatives to improve ICS security, survey participants’ top responses indicated a focus on foundational components of any OT security program, such as increased asset visibility, intrusion detection systems, better physical security, and cybersecurity education and training.

There is increased interest in conducting risk assessments and penetration tests in ICS/OT environments

Survey participants are more commonly performing risk-based assessments, including penetration tests, to identify gaps in security controls within their ICS/OT environments.

The penetration tests tend to be conducted at the higher levels of the Purdue Model (3-5). The objective is to identify attack paths from the enterprise network to the ICS network, or vice versa. Penetration tests can provide important insights, but are most effective for more mature OT environments where previously identified vulnerabilities have already been addressed.

RMC is here to help

Although foundational investments are a necessary component of any ICS/OT security program, program design, sequencing, prioritization of investments, and proper coordination must be considered from the start to maximize risk reduction. We support you to:

  • Help you understand your program’s maturity and adherence to OT security best practices
  • Help you set realistic goals for your ICS/OT environments, and help you achieve them
  • Suggest and implement security solutions tailored to your business goals and regulatory requirements
  • Implement safe, complete, and effective security controls
  • Identify vulnerabilities actively placing your operations and infrastructure at risk

For large organizations, building a strong relationship between security leadership and sites is key to efficient project execution. Improving cybersecurity in ICS/OT environments requires a coordinated effort between enterprise IT (security) teams, site leadership, plant engineers, vendors, integrators, and more. RMC can help foster these relationships, aligning your program’s cybersecurity goals with your sites, achieving buy-in, and building a positive and proactive security culture. During our engagements, we follow these guiding principles:

  • Speak the sites’ language and build trust between the program and the sites 
  • Foster increased cybersecurity awareness with site personnel and leadership
  • Communicate the goals of our proven assessment methodology – we are there to help, not audit
  • Share insights to inform funding decisions for system upgrades and process redesigns

How can RMC help your organization? 

Contact us today: sales@rmcglobal.com

Be sure to follow RMC Global on LinkedIn, and bookmark our News & Perspectives website to stay apprised of industry insights and topical advice on establishing cyber resiliency in OT environments. 

AI’s Impact on OT Cybersecurity: The Double-Edged Sword of Innovation

The advent of generative AI technologies, most notably ChatGPT, has brought about both excitement and apprehension within the Operational Technology (OT) cybersecurity community. Among the latest advancements in this domain is PentestGPT, a specialized tool adept at conducting automated penetration tests, a cornerstone in pinpointing security vulnerabilities.

The Role of Cybersecurity Assessments in Building a Resilient OT Environment

As the demand for operational technology (OT) security services rises, cybersecurity managers and executive-level CISOs are facing the challenge of securing their organization’s OT assets and industrial environments. While their expertise may primarily and traditionally lie in overseeing IT security, the complexities of the OT landscape present new and quickly evolving operational risks and vulnerabilities.  

OT Cyber Coalition Welcomes RMC Global as Newest Member

Washington, DC, June 8, 2023 – Today, the Operational Technology Cybersecurity Coalition (OT Cyber Coalition) announced that RMC Global will join the diverse group of leading cybersecurity vendors in support of the organization’s effort to enhance the resiliency of the nation’s critical infrastructure. RMC is the 16th company to join the OT Cyber Coalition since its launch in April 2022.

“The addition of RMC further bolsters our coalition’s ability to inform federal policies in the most comprehensive way possible to enhance our collective cyber posture for operational technology,” said Andrew Howell, Executive Director, OT Cyber Coalition. “We look forward to bringing their expertise to bear in our efforts to move the needle on solutions needed to make the United States the leader in hardening our critical infrastructure for current as well as future threats.”

RMC protects and prepares government and commercial partners with risk management, mission assurance, and industrial cybersecurity solutions which allow their customers to prevail in an evolving threat environment.

“RMC is proud to be a member of the OT Cyber Coalition and play a part in illuminating OT cyber risks and advocating for meaningful OT cybersecurity policies,” said Vince Kuchar, CEO of RMC Global. “As a leading provider of ICS/OT cybersecurity services to federal and commercial customers, we believe that constructive dialog between industry and government will help produce meaningful change toward our vision of assuring tomorrow for critical infrastructure, our military missions, and the communities they serve. We look forward to collaborating with industry and government partners to advance this important domain of cybersecurity.”

More information about the OT Cyber Coalition is available on the coalition’s website, otcybercoalition.org.

About RMC Global

RMC provides a full lifecycle of Mission Assurance and risk management solutions, with deep expertise in critical infrastructure protection and industrial cybersecurity, to protect our country’s most important and vital assets. Operating worldwide, RMC provides federal government and commercial organizations the analysis, assessments, strategy and remediation required to protect personnel, facilities, networks, and critical infrastructure. Founded in 2011, RMC has offices in Destin, Florida, and Arlington, Virginia. www.RMCGlobal.com

About the OT Cyber Coalition         

The Operational Technology Cybersecurity Coalition is a diverse group of leading cybersecurity vendors dedicated to improving the cybersecurity of OT environments. Representing the entire OT lifecycle, the OT Cyber Coalition believes that the strongest, most effective approach to securing our nation’s critical infrastructure is one that is open, vendor-neutral, and allows for diverse solutions and information sharing without compromising cybersecurity defenses. The OT Cyber Coalition was founded by Claroty, Forescout, Honeywell, Nozomi Networks, and Tenable in 2022. For more information, visit https://www.otcybercoalition.org/.