Speaker 1: Welcome everyone, ready to dive deep into industrial cybersecurity, Let's
Speaker 1: do it. We're cracking open Practical Industrial Cybersecurity ICs Industry
Speaker 1: four point zero and IoT, a fantastic book by Brian
Speaker 1: Singer and Tyson Brooks.
Speaker 2: Two cybersecurity pros. Super passionate about training the next generation.
Speaker 1: Absolutely, and this book, well, it doesn't just scratch the surface.
Speaker 1: We're talking power grids, manufacturing plants, all those systems we
Speaker 1: rely on every day.
Speaker 2: That's what industrial control systems or ICs are all about.
Speaker 1: Exactly the backbone of our modern world. Really.
Speaker 2: But here's the thing. Securing these systems. It's a whole
Speaker 2: different ballgame than your typical IT security.
Speaker 1: That's right, And the book hits this point hard with
Speaker 1: the AIC triad, Availability, integrity, confidentiality.
Speaker 2: All three matter, sure, but in traditional IT confidentiality often
Speaker 2: takes the lead.
Speaker 1: But in industrial settings, if a system crashes or data
Speaker 1: gets messed with, the fallout can be.
Speaker 2: Huge, catastrophic even think power outages, factory functions.
Speaker 1: Exactly, it's not just about data breaches here, It's about
Speaker 1: real world consequences.
Speaker 2: Right. Let's say a sensor reading it's tweaked in a
Speaker 2: chemical plane throws off the whole mix a that's an
Speaker 2: integrity issue with serious.
Speaker 1: Consequence, absolutely, and availability is just as crucial. Imagine a
Speaker 1: hospital's ventilation system going down because of a cyber attack.
Speaker 2: The impact is immediate and it can be life threatening.
Speaker 1: It really highlights the different priorities in ICs security for sure. Okay,
Speaker 1: so let's get into the nuts and bolts of these systems.
Speaker 1: What are we looking at when we talk about the
Speaker 1: core components of an ICs?
Speaker 2: Think of it like a loop. You've got sensors they're
Speaker 2: grabbing data from the environment, temperature, pressure, flow.
Speaker 1: Rate, got it, the eyes and ears of the system exactly.
Speaker 2: Then you have controllers PLCs, RTUs things like that to brains,
Speaker 2: right yeah, processing that data, making decisions based on their programming.
Speaker 2: And then then you've got actuators and muscles. They carry
Speaker 2: out the controllers instructions, opening valves, adjusting motor speeds.
Speaker 1: So it's all about this constant feedback loop since decide
Speaker 1: act exactly.
Speaker 2: The book uses the example of a thermostat.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, that makes sense, a simple ICs we all
Speaker 1: have at home.
Speaker 2: Exactly. It senses the temperature, compares it to what you've set,
Speaker 2: and then kicks the heating or cooling.
Speaker 1: On or off, simple but effective, right.
Speaker 2: But in industrial settings, these loops control some serious processes,
Speaker 2: massive machinery, high voltages, you know, the stuff that makes
Speaker 2: the world go around.
Speaker 1: And as technology changes, so do the ways these systems communicate,
Speaker 1: which opens up a whole new can of worms when
Speaker 1: it comes to security.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, we've gone from isolated Cereal buses to Ethernet networks.
Speaker 2: Now these ICs are hooked into the wider world.
Speaker 1: Makes sense, more connectivity, more data sharing, more efficiency.
Speaker 2: Right, But it also means more points of entry for attackers.
Speaker 1: So instead of being these isolated islands, these systems are
Speaker 1: getting more and more interconnected, which creates new vulnerabilities.
Speaker 2: Exactly, and that's where understanding network architecture becomes super important.
Speaker 2: The book introduces this thing called the Perdue model.
Speaker 1: The Perdue model, I'm guessing it's not just some theoretical framework.
Speaker 2: Nope, not at all. It's like a blueprint for ICs.
Speaker 2: Networks divides them into different levels based on what they
Speaker 2: do and how critical they are.
Speaker 1: So using this model helps prioritize security efforts.
Speaker 2: Absolutely. You see which levels are the most critical, what
Speaker 2: kind of data flows between them, and then you can
Speaker 2: put the right security measures in place.
Speaker 1: Makes sense. It's like reinforcing the walls around the most
Speaker 1: valuable parts of your castle.
Speaker 2: Exactly. The book also talks about network segmentation and security zoning,
Speaker 2: which are crucial for minimizing damage.
Speaker 1: Segmentation zoning tell me more.
Speaker 2: Think of it like dividing your kingdom into smaller protected territories.
Speaker 2: With segmentation, you're creating barriers between different zones, so if
Speaker 2: one area gets.
Speaker 1: Breached, the damage is contained.
Speaker 2: Exactly. It's all about layers of defense.
Speaker 1: Okay, that makes sense, and security zoning takes that a
Speaker 1: step further.
Speaker 2: It does you assign different security levels to each zone
Speaker 2: based on how critical and sensitive it is. You wouldn't
Speaker 2: give someone access to the mailroom and then hand over
Speaker 2: the keys to the.
Speaker 1: Vault, right, No, definitely, not exactly.
Speaker 2: And then there are DMZs demilitarized zones DMZs.
Speaker 1: What are those.
Speaker 2: Buffer zones between different levels of trust? Like you might
Speaker 2: have a DMZ between your super sensitive ICs network, your
Speaker 2: less trusted IT network, and then the wild West to
Speaker 2: the Internet. It's like a security checkpoint. Traffic gets inspected
Speaker 2: and siltered before it's allowed to cross over.
Speaker 1: So it's not just about keeping the bad guys out entirely,
Speaker 1: but also controlling what they can access even if they
Speaker 1: get a foot in the door.
Speaker 2: You got it. And firewalls and proxy servers are key
Speaker 2: players in this boundary protection. Firewalls are like the gatekeepers,
Speaker 2: enforcing the rules about what traffic can pass through. Proxy
Speaker 2: servers act as middlemen, shielding the internal network from direct exposure.
Speaker 1: All about layers, right, And speaking of layers, the book
Speaker 1: really emphasizes secure remote access. I mean, experts need to
Speaker 1: access these systems remotely for troubleshooting, maintenance, right.
Speaker 2: And that's where VPNs come in. Virtual private network ah vtns.
Speaker 2: They create encrypted tunnels, so even if you're on a
Speaker 2: public network, your sensitive information stays protected. It's like sending
Speaker 2: your data through a secret passageway.
Speaker 1: So it's all about layers, both physical and digital to
Speaker 1: protect these vital systems absolutely.
Speaker 2: And let's not forget good old fashioned physical security. You
Speaker 2: can have the strongest digital defenses in the world, but
Speaker 2: if someone can just waltz in and mess with the equipment.
Speaker 1: Game over pretty much. Yeah.
Speaker 2: The book talks about those three layers of physical protection
Speaker 2: outer perimeter, inter perimeter, and individual device.
Speaker 1: Access right right, And each layer has its own set
Speaker 1: of vulnerabilities exactly.
Speaker 2: At the outer perimeter, it's things like weak fencing, poor lighting,
Speaker 2: security cameras that aren't positioned well. Easy access for intruders
Speaker 2: makes sense.
Speaker 1: And then you have the inner perimeter.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's where you might see issues with door locks,
Speaker 2: badge readers, alarm systems, things that make it easier for
Speaker 2: someone to move around unauthorized.
Speaker 1: And then the individual device level, that's about preventing tampering
Speaker 1: with the actual.
Speaker 2: Equipment you got it, things like unlocked cabinets, exposed wiring,
Speaker 2: missing security screws. It might seem small, but attackers can
Speaker 2: use those weaknesses to gain access or cause disruptions.
Speaker 1: It's a good reminder that cybersecurity isn't just about fancy tech.
Speaker 1: It's about addressing vulnerabilities everywhere exactly.
Speaker 2: And as we dig deeper into the threats and how
Speaker 2: to counter them, well that's a whole other conversation.
Speaker 1: Absolutely, let's take a short break and we'll be right
Speaker 1: back to dive into the world of hackers, attacks and
Speaker 1: all the strategies used to protect these essential systems.
Speaker 2: Welcome back, all right, let's jump right in. Now we've
Speaker 2: laid the groundwork, talked about the what and the why
Speaker 2: of ICs, right.
Speaker 1: The systems themselves, the architecture exactly.
Speaker 2: Now it's time to get into the nitty gritty the
Speaker 2: threats these systems.
Speaker 1: Face, the bad guys, the attackers, exactly.
Speaker 2: And it's a whole spectrum, you know, different motives, different
Speaker 2: levels of sophistication.
Speaker 1: The book mentions everything from script kitties to nation state actors.
Speaker 1: That's quite arranged, it is.
Speaker 2: You've got those just messing around, you know, the script kitties.
Speaker 2: Maybe they're using off the shelf tools, trying to see
Speaker 2: what they can get into. More for bragging rights than.
Speaker 1: Anything, right, more mischief than malice.
Speaker 2: Then you have activists, folks driven by a cause, political, social,
Speaker 2: whatever they want to disrupt make a statement.
Speaker 1: And then at the top of the food chain.
Speaker 2: Organized crime. Nation states. They've got resources, specific targets. It's
Speaker 2: a whole different ballgame.
Speaker 1: And it's not just about external threats, right. The book
Speaker 1: also talks about insider threats.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, disgruntled employees, contractors with access, even just honest mistakes
Speaker 2: can all pose serious risks.
Speaker 1: So it's like building a fortress, strong walls, vigilant guards,
Speaker 1: but then you've got a trader inside exactly.
Speaker 2: Security has to address both external and internal vulnerabilities.
Speaker 1: Speaking of attacks, the book talks about this thing called
Speaker 1: the attack kill chain. Can that down a bit?
Speaker 2: Sure? The attack killed chain. It's basically a model that
Speaker 2: outlines the steps of a cyber attack. It starts with reconnaissance,
Speaker 2: gathering intel, what systems, what software? What are the weak points?
Speaker 1: So they do their homework. It's not just a random.
Speaker 2: Attack, Nope, they plan it out. Then there's weaponization. They
Speaker 2: pick the tools, develop exploits, whatever they need to get in.
Speaker 1: Okay, so they're armed and ready.
Speaker 2: What's next delivery? This is where they actually get the
Speaker 2: malware in. It could be a fifting email, exploiting a
Speaker 2: software flaw, even something physical like a USB drive.
Speaker 1: Getting a foot in the door, so to speak exactly.
Speaker 2: Then comes exploitation. They leverage that foothold, get deeper access,
Speaker 2: install more tools, malware, establish control over the system, and
Speaker 2: finally action on objectives whatever they were after.
Speaker 1: Which could be anything from stealing data to disrupting operations
Speaker 1: to causing physical damage.
Speaker 2: Right, and one of the most common tactics social engineering.
Speaker 1: Social engineering that sounds more like a con game than hacking.
Speaker 2: It is in a way, think about phishing emails. They're
Speaker 2: designed to trick people into giving up passwords, or someone
Speaker 2: impersonating a technician to get into a restricted area. It's
Speaker 2: all about exploiting human psychology.
Speaker 1: Playing on trust, helpfulness, or tendency to follow instructions exactly.
Speaker 2: So it's not just about having strong tech defenses. It's
Speaker 2: about educating people, making them aware of these tactics.
Speaker 1: Human awareness as a security measure.
Speaker 2: It's one of the most effective defenses against social engineering.
Speaker 2: Train employees to spot suspicious emails, be careful about sharing information,
Speaker 2: report anything that seems off. It makes a huge difference.
Speaker 1: Okay, so awareness is key. The book also delves into
Speaker 1: more technical countermeasures like cryptography.
Speaker 2: Ah cryptography the art of protecting information. We're talking encryption, hashing,
Speaker 2: digital certificates. Encryption scrambles data, makes it unreadable without the
Speaker 2: right key.
Speaker 1: So even if someone intercepts the data, it's useless.
Speaker 2: To them exactly. Hashing, on the other end, is like
Speaker 2: creating a unique fingerprint for a piece of data, helps
Speaker 2: you make sure it hasn't been tampered with.
Speaker 1: Got it and digital certificate they like.
Speaker 2: Electronic passports, verifying the identity of websites and online entities,
Speaker 2: helps you avoid those fake websites or malicious emails that
Speaker 2: try to steal your info.
Speaker 1: So cryptography is all about secure communication, data integrity. It's
Speaker 1: the foundation of online security, really it is.
Speaker 2: And those cryptographic techniques are used all over the place
Speaker 2: to protect ICs, securing remote connections, encrypting sensitive data, you
Speaker 2: name it.
Speaker 1: So let's talk about some of the specific types of
Speaker 1: attacks that ICs are vulnerable to. The book mentions DOS, didos,
Speaker 1: and man in the middle attacks. What are those all about?
Speaker 2: A denial of service or DOS attack, it's all about
Speaker 2: overwhelming a server or network with traffic, basically shutting it down,
Speaker 2: preventing legitimate users from accessing.
Speaker 1: It, like a digital traffic jam exactly.
Speaker 2: And then you have DDEMS attacks distributed denial service same idea,
Speaker 2: but it uses multiple compromise of devices to launch the attack,
Speaker 2: much harder to defend against.
Speaker 1: So instead of one car blocking the road, it's a
Speaker 1: whole fleet of them.
Speaker 2: Perfect analogy. And then there's a man in the middle attack.
Speaker 2: This is where an attacker gets in between two parties
Speaker 2: who are communicating, intercepts.
Speaker 1: The data so they can eavesdrop, steal information, even manipulate
Speaker 1: the data exactly.
Speaker 2: It's pretty sneaky.
Speaker 1: So how do you defend against these attacks? What are
Speaker 1: the strategies?
Speaker 2: Well, you've got your firewalls. They can help block malicious traffic.
Speaker 2: Intrusion detection systems IDS's they monitor network activity, flag any
Speaker 2: suspicious behavior.
Speaker 1: Kind of like an alarm system.
Speaker 2: Right, and strong encryption of course, that helps protect data
Speaker 2: from being intercepted.
Speaker 1: Or tampered with layers of defense, each one providing a
Speaker 1: different type of protection.
Speaker 2: You got it. And then there's penetration testing.
Speaker 1: Penetration testing that's where you basically try to hack into
Speaker 1: your own systems.
Speaker 2: Right exactly. Sounds gun are intuitive, but it's super valuable.
Speaker 2: Ethical hackers they simulate real world attacks.
Speaker 1: To find the weak spots before the bad guys do exactly.
Speaker 2: They'll try to exploit software abilities bypass physical security, even
Speaker 2: use social engineering tactics, anything to expose those weaknesses.
Speaker 1: It's a comprehensive security checkup. See where you're strong, where
Speaker 1: you need to.
Speaker 2: Improve, absolutely, and the insights you get from that priceless.
Speaker 2: You can then strengthen your defenses, make your ICs more resilient.
Speaker 2: And that brings us to the last piece of the puzzle.
Speaker 1: Okay, so we've talked about the systems themselves, the architecture
Speaker 1: of the threats, the defenses.
Speaker 2: What's next, Well, next time we're going to dive into
Speaker 2: the world of security, governance, risk management, and incident response.
Speaker 2: It's all about having a solid plan of framework for
Speaker 2: managing security, knowing how to respond when things go wrong.
Speaker 2: Even with the best defenses, sometimes things happen, right, It's.
Speaker 1: About being prepared, knowing what to do when the alarm
Speaker 1: bells go off. And that's what we'll be discussing in
Speaker 1: our next deep dive. So stay tuned.
Speaker 2: All right, we're back for the final stretch of our
Speaker 2: ICs cybersecurity deep dive, the home stretch. We've covered the systems,
Speaker 2: the threats, the defenses.
Speaker 1: Say, the battlefield, the enemy, the weapons exactly.
Speaker 2: Now it's time to talk strategy, security, governance, risk management,
Speaker 2: incident response, the command center, if you will.
Speaker 1: I like that analogy. It's about having a solid plan
Speaker 1: a framework for managing security, knowing what to do when
Speaker 1: things go wrong, because even with.
Speaker 2: The best defenses, stuff happens.
Speaker 1: It does, and the book really stresses the importance of
Speaker 1: having those security policies and procedures in place, right.
Speaker 2: Those guidelines, those rules of engagement. Why are they so
Speaker 2: crucial for ICs? Imagine an army with no rules, no
Speaker 2: clear chain of command, it'd be chaos. Security policies they're
Speaker 2: the backbone of your cybersecurity strategy.
Speaker 1: They provide that structure of that consistency, define roles and
Speaker 1: responsibility exactly.
Speaker 2: They lay out the processes for everything, access, control, incident response,
Speaker 2: you name it.
Speaker 1: So it's not just about creating these policies, it's about
Speaker 1: making sure they're actually followed, put into practice.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, communication, implementation, enforcement, all key.
Speaker 1: The book mentions some examples like the NIST Cybersecurity Framework
Speaker 1: and IIC six two four four three. What are those
Speaker 1: all about?
Speaker 2: Those are industry standards guidelines. They give you a structured
Speaker 2: approach to ICs security.
Speaker 1: Okay, so like best practices, tried and true methods exactly.
Speaker 2: The NIST Cybersecurity Framework, for instance, it gives you a
Speaker 2: set of best practices for identifying, protecting, detecting, responding to,
Speaker 2: and recovering from cybertax. It's adaptable too, works for organizations
Speaker 2: of all sizes, all industries.
Speaker 1: So it's a roadmap for building a solid cybersecurity program exactly.
Speaker 2: An IAA six ' two four four three That one
Speaker 2: specifically focused on industrial automation and control systems. Lots of
Speaker 2: detailed guidance on risk assessment, system design, security management, the
Speaker 2: whole line.
Speaker 1: Yards sounds like having these standards in place can really
Speaker 1: help streamline things, make sure you're doing things right.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, they lay that solid foundation for a comprehensive, effective
Speaker 2: cybersecurity program. No guesswork.
Speaker 1: Now, let's shift gears a bit talk about risk assessment
Speaker 1: and risk management. The book defines risk as a balancing act.
Speaker 1: How likely is something bad to happen and what's the
Speaker 1: impact if it does right?
Speaker 2: It's that balance and risk assessment is all about figuring
Speaker 2: that out, identifying your critical assets, what are the potential threats,
Speaker 2: what vulnerabilities could be exploited.
Speaker 1: So like a thorough security audit exactly, And then risk
Speaker 1: management is all about taking action, putting measures in place
Speaker 1: to mitigate those risks.
Speaker 2: Right. Once you know what you're dealing with, you can
Speaker 2: develop those strategies to reduce the likelihood or the impact
Speaker 2: of something bad happening.
Speaker 1: It could be technical controls, firewalls, intrusion detection systems.
Speaker 2: Right or beefing up physical security, training employees on best practices,
Speaker 2: being proactive exactly. And it's not a one and done thing.
Speaker 2: The threat landscape changes all the time. You've got to
Speaker 2: constantly review, update your assessments, your mitigation strategies.
Speaker 1: The book mentions this interesting concept annualize loss expectancy ALG.
Speaker 1: What's that all about?
Speaker 2: AL It's a way to quantify risk, but in financial terms,
Speaker 2: you calculate the potential financial hit if a security incident happens,
Speaker 2: take into account how likely it is and how much
Speaker 2: it would cost.
Speaker 1: So putting a dollar value on risks.
Speaker 2: Exactly makes it easier to prioritize. Right, if you know
Speaker 2: a certain vulnerability could cost you millions, you're going to
Speaker 2: be more likely to invest in fixing.
Speaker 1: It makes sense. Okay, let's move on to incident response.
Speaker 1: What happens when despite all our best efforts, something does happen.
Speaker 2: That's where your incident response plan comes in, that detailed
Speaker 2: document that lays out the steps to take if there's
Speaker 2: a breach.
Speaker 1: So your emergency plan.
Speaker 2: Exactly, detection, containment, eradication, recovery, post ins and analysis. It's
Speaker 2: all in there, and you need this plan before something happens.
Speaker 2: You don't want to be figuring things out in the
Speaker 2: middle of a crisis.
Speaker 1: Right that's not the time for improvisation.
Speaker 2: Nope. The book breaks down those different stages of incident response. First,
Speaker 2: you got to prepare, develop the plan, train the team,
Speaker 2: set up communication channels. Then it's about identification, figure out
Speaker 2: if there's really an incident, Gather all the info.
Speaker 1: You can confirming that there's an actual fire, not just
Speaker 1: a false alarm exactly.
Speaker 2: Then you move to containment. Isolate those affected systems, stop
Speaker 2: the spread, minimize the damage, eradication that's next, get rid
Speaker 2: of the thread, and finally recovery. Get those systems back
Speaker 2: up and running securely.
Speaker 1: Sounds very methodical, very structured.
Speaker 2: It has to be, and documentation is key throughout the
Speaker 2: whole process. Keep records of everything, what happened, what actions
Speaker 2: were taken, lessons learned. It's invaluable for improving your response in.
Speaker 1: The future, learn from your mistakes exactly.
Speaker 2: And the book also mentions SIMES, security information and Event
Speaker 2: management systems. They're great for incident response tuns.
Speaker 1: What are those?
Speaker 2: They collect and analyze security data from all over your network.
Speaker 2: Gives you that centralized view of your security posture. They
Speaker 2: can help you spot suspicions activity, connect the dots, identify patterns,
Speaker 2: that might point to an attack, So.
Speaker 1: It's like having a central nervous system for your security
Speaker 1: operations exactly.
Speaker 2: Signs are powerful tools. They can help we figure out
Speaker 2: the scope of an attack, quickly track its progress, gather
Speaker 2: evidence for forensic analysis. Really useful.
Speaker 1: Well, this has been quite a journey, it has. We've
Speaker 1: covered a lot of ground, from the basics of ICs
Speaker 1: how they work, to the complexities of cybersecurity threats and
Speaker 1: how to defend against them.
Speaker 2: We've talked architecture, policies, risk management, incident response, the whole shebang.
Speaker 1: And the book we've been exploring Practical Industrial Cybersecurity. It's
Speaker 1: a gold mine of information. Practical guidance really dives deep
Speaker 1: into the unique challenges of securing these systems.
Speaker 2: It really does a must read for anyone working in
Speaker 2: this field or anyone who just wants to understand this
Speaker 2: world better, because as our reliance on these interconnected systems grows,
Speaker 2: so does the importance of protecting them.
Speaker 1: Absolutely, and it's not just on the security professionals. We
Speaker 1: all have a role to play in keeping our critical
Speaker 1: infrastructure safe and reliable.
Speaker 2: Couldn't agree more. Cybersecurity is everyone's responsibility.
Speaker 1: These days, so as we wrap up this deep dive,
Speaker 1: let's leave our list. Stener's something to think about. In
Speaker 1: a world where the lines between the physical and digital
Speaker 1: are blurring. How do we prepare for these ever evolving
Speaker 1: threats to our critical infrastructure?
Speaker 2: How do we build a more secure and resilient future.
Speaker 2: That's the million dollar question.
Speaker 1: It is and one that deserves careful consideration from all
Speaker 1: of us. By staying informed, being proactive, and fostering that
Speaker 1: culture of cybersecurity awareness, we can work together to make
Speaker 1: that future a reality.
Speaker 2: Absolutely. Knowledge is power. Awareness is key. Let's keep learning,
Speaker 2: keep adapting, and keep those systems safe.
Speaker 1: Couldn't have set it better myself. Thanks for joining us
Speaker 1: on this deep dive into the fascinating world of industrial cybersecurity.
Speaker 1: Until next time.