Cyber protection

Industrial Defender has introduced its Host Intrusion Prevention System (HIPS), an application whitelisting-based security solution that prevents malware attacks and non-trusted software modifications on control system servers and end-point devices. Industrial Defender’s HIPS is specifically designed for industrial control system environments where it is critical to avoid the high overhead of software scanning operations common with traditional anti-virus technologies, as well as the administrative overhead of frequent software and anti-virus signature patch updates.

"Many system administrators consider their mission-critical automation systems relatively secure, having deployed firewalls as well as changed the default system passwords," said Ryan Elbert, P.E., Engineering Manager at Black and Veatch, the consultancy firm. "In reality, sophisticated and persistent threats will eventually penetrate firewalls, and actions of employees and/or contractors almost inevitably introduce malware and unauthorized software to automation systems. Application whitelisting solutions like Industrial Defender’s HIPS provide a highly effective defense against such threats, especially in critical and legacy automation system environments."

As a whitelisting-based solution, the Host Intrusion Prevention System permits only a predetermined list of authorized applications to launch on each automation system computer. By ensuring that only approved, trusted applications can execute, HIPS automatically blocks all unauthorized applications, including unknown malware and rogue applications installed by users.

"HIPS is based on patented, award-winning application whitelisting technology from CoreTrace® that is tightly integrated and managed within Industrial Defender’s suite of Defense-in-Depth™ and compliance automation products, and supported with our professional services including host scrubbing, product deployment, whitelist initialization, and periodic system audits and refreshes," said Walt Sikora, Industrial Defender’s VP of Security Solutions. "The integration of HIPS into a complete automation security management solution assures safe, secure system implementations while minimizing the long-term cost of ownership."