OT targeted by cybercriminals.

Protecting mission critical OT assets from cyber attacks.

Operational Technology (OT) networks have increasingly become targets for cybercriminals. One reason for this escalation is that legacy hardware connected to OT networks often lacks modern security safeguards or go unpatched, making them enticing targets for malicious actors to exploit.

To address this growing threat, Moxa has introduced its new EDF-G1002-BP Series of 2-port Gigabit LAN firewalls. Moxa EDF-G1002-BP Series firewalls protect mission-critical assets in infrastructures such as Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), water treatment centers, distributed control systems, and PLC/SCADA in factory automation, helping operators improve network security and uptime.

Streamlining the protection of legacy OT devices is the core mission of EDF-G1002-BP Series firewalls. By supporting Bump-in-the-Wire installation, the EDF-G1002-BP Series can be easily connected in front of critical assets without causing disruptions or requiring the reconfiguring of IP subnets. Operating in transparent mode, the firewalls prioritize safeguarding critical assets and facilitating secure east-west communication within the LAN.

Dynamic protection against attacks.
The EDF-G1002-BP Series dynamically prevents malicious activity on OT networks by applying advanced Intrusion Prevention (IPS) and Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS). IPS/IDS analyzes network traffic in the background and enables behavior monitoring and awareness of cyber activities.

Depending on the OT scenario, technicians can select the ISP to operate in either “Monitor” mode for full visibility of cyberthreat activities, or if a threat is detected, “Protect” mode to block and contain malicious operations.

In addition, the EDF-G1002-BP Series supports Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), providing awareness of industrial protocol data and allowing for granular command of control system traffic to critical controllers.

Optimizing network uptime.
Enabling the EDF-G1002-BP Series requires only 30 seconds of boot time. The software-configurable Gen 3 LAN Bypass prevents anomalies from causing an EDF-G1002-BP firewall to interrupt operational services. Secure boot is supported for checking system integrity.

Like all Moxa industrial-grade devices, EDF-G1002-BP Series firewalls are purpose-engineered for harsh environments and able to withstand temperatures from -40° to 75° C (-40° to 167° F). Its metal housing can be DIN-rail or wall mounted, while being resistant to shock, freefall and vibration. This robust design qualifies the EDF-G1002-BP Series for industrial use cases, as well as the EN 50121-4 standard for railway signaling and telecommunications equipment.

When EDF-G1002-BP Series firewalls are connected to the Moxa MXsecurity centralized security management platform, administrators can manage and monitor all the intrusion prevention systems from a single space.

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@Moxa_Europe @OConnellPR #PAuto #Cybersecurity 

IT-OT data convergence.

Seeq Corporation has announced a partnership with Databricks, the data and AI company, that brings a native integration between each company’s platform to simplify access to high quality asset and process data, unify IT and OT data processing and accelerate AI/ML adoption across the industrial manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and energy sectors.

"The Seeq and Databricks integration is a critical step toward bridging the communication gap between operations technology and information technology personnel, which will drive increased machine learning value across the enterprise,” says Megan Buntain, VP of Global Partnerships and Ecosystem at Seeq. “We’re thrilled to add Databricks to the Seeq partner ecosystem and look forward to continuing to innovate with their team to improve outcomes for manufacturers.”

This bi-directional integration enables users to seamlessly combine contextualized time series data from industrial assets with a vast array of enterprise data sources to deliver more robust reporting, analytics and predictions in their business. Databricks customers can now take advantage of Seeq’s extensive connectivity to time series data sources and power a wide range of analytical use cases across the enterprise. Insights developed in Databricks Lakehouse Platform can be operationalized in Seeq, introducing new opportunities for process experts and data teams to deliver data-driven solutions to increase industrial productivity, improve operational reliability, enhance safety, and accelerate progress towards sustainability goals.

For petrochemical manufacturer Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, the Seeq and Databricks integration accelerated the company’s ability to scale data science and machine learning efforts across multiple digital initiatives involving process and laboratory data.

Brent Railey, Chief Data & Analytics Officer of Chevron Phillips Chemical Company comments, “We are very excited about this partnership, as it will be mutually beneficial for Databricks, Seeq, and their shared customers. Seeq brings key time-series functionality that just isn’t available in other solutions. Seeq also simplifies the complexities of connecting to various types of process data sources. Databricks brings scalable, elastic data engineering and data science capabilities at an affordable price. Seeq can bring data to Databricks for complementary analytic purposes within Databricks. Databricks can serve cleansed and refined IIoT data to Seeq for self-service analytics. This partnership should make this one-two punch even more powerful!”

“Our collaboration with Seeq unlocks tremendous value for customers, making it simpler for organizations to operationalize and democratize IoT datasets by leveraging the open and secure foundation of the Databricks Lakehouse Platform. This significantly lowers the barrier to data-driven innovation in the industry,” says Shiv Trisal, Global Manufacturing Industry Leader at Databricks.

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@SeeqCorporation @databricks @chevronphillips #PAuto #Comms

Architecture and specification approved.

FDT Group™ and OPC Foundation have announced their memberships have approved the update to the FDT OPC Unified Architecture (UA) companion specification (CS). The new specification launches the only protocol-agnostic, server-level, universal Device Information (DI) Model for both process and discrete manufacturing applications, empowering next-generation, open automation FDT architectures.

The updated FDT OPC UA companion specification is a key technology development unifying data for both IT and OT while enabling the transmission of uniform, real-time process, network, and device information for any OPC UA Client in the enterprise.

FDT Server-based distributed architectures with a built-in, “pre-wired” OPC UA Server seamlessly allow access to all device and network information and metadata via any authenticated OPC UA Client or application. Standard OPC UA browsing techniques are used to expose this information so that authorized OPC UA Clients can connect to the FDT Server to browse, collect, and act on the data as needed. Optional support for a Publish-Subscribe environment allows for efficient, real-time data monitoring and exchange.

“The new companion specification matches the strengths of the FDT 3.0 IIoT platform by harmonizing IT/OT data access for any OPC UA Client supporting smart manufacturing practices,” said Thomas Hadlich, chairman of FDT architecture and specification. “Based on the new OPC UA ‘System Architecture’ template, the updated CS now references OPC UA for Device 1.01 and supports new process device data along with mapping for protocol support files as outlined in FDT 3.0. These important use cases, driven by the automation industry, meet the FDT 3.0 Server architecture requirements and have been strengthened by mapping of Device Type Manager [DTM] static functions and by describing I/O signals for configuration and observation of production process and/or of device performance. The enhancements included in the universal information model will drive industrial automation monitoring and visualization optimization for the enterprise.”

Since 2011, FDT Group and OPC Foundation have collaborated in support of a unified DI model to promote device- and network-level data access in a uniform way for higher-level enterprise applications. The two organizations first announced the release of their joint DI model companion specification in 2016 based on the FDT 2.0 client/server architecture, and as of today, FDT 3.0 Server distributed architectures are supported by a new server-level universal DI model enabling end users to freely mix and match any device with any device information model, from any vendor, and communicate on any network while the FDT Server transparently unifies all the device information and pushes the data to the enterprise for any OPC UA Client in real-time.

“Without interoperability and reliable information, we can’t open automation to innovation,” said Jim Luth, OPC Foundation CTO. “Both OPC Foundation and FDT Group are key industry organizations and leaders in their respective IT and OT interoperability and data domains. Harmonization introduced via the collaborative universal device information model in the new FDT OPC UA companion specification solidifies IT/OT convergence and the path opening automation innovation for both the process and discrete markets. The result empowers a data-centric powerhouse core for any application, allowing the industry to evolve manufacturing best practices with a service-oriented architecture securing the exchange of data to effectively make use of valuable information.”

FDT’s secure, data-centric platform runs behind the scenes at the core of any automation architecture, harmonizing technologies, solutions, and people for today’s infrastructure and tomorrow’s intelligent enterprise. Visualization capabilities with the Universal DI Model are closely aligned with the requirements of major end user associations and their recommendations for an open architecture to make production data easily and securely usable for asset monitoring and optimization. These collaborative efforts supporting new FDT 3.0 architectures are another example of technologies, solutions, and people working together to help achieve a brighter future in industrial manufacturing.

See: IIoT platform enables uniform IT/OT data access to enterprises. (10/06/2021)

@FDTGroup @OPCFoundation #PAuto

Starter Kit Options for IT/OT Convergence.

Advantech and Lynx Software Technologies have partnered to offer multiple Mission Critical Edge Starter Kit options that enable the convergence of IT (Information Technology) and OT (Operational Technology).

LYNX MOSA.ic™ for Industrial, Lynx’s mission critical edge platform, provides virtual air gapping between the control automation and other workloads. It is available for implementation on select Advantech industrial hardware, which reduces integration time for OT edge processing. These Mission Critical Edge Starter Kits enable the following:

• Implementation of the edge use cases in the OT domain
• Virtual air gapping of IT and OT workloads
• OT operators’ ownership of the system management
• vPLC, Machine Learning and Security running on the same system
• Ability to host cloud workloads in the OT domain without impacting operators

The foundational building block in LYNX MOSA.ic for Industrial is the LynxSecure® Separation Kernel, which provides strong isolation of applications, deterministic real-time performance and management of critical system assets to increase immunity to cybersecurity attacks. Additionally, Lynx has developed unique management technologies that allow Mission Critical Edge systems to be deployed at scale and meet the strict requirements of systems that enable OT & IT convergence.

Many networks across a variety of verticals including government, military, financial services, power plants, and industrial manufacturing have been so-called “air-gapped.” This means they are physically and logically isolated from other networks where communication between these networks is not physically or logically possible.

The combination of Advantech hardware and Lynx software allows users to have IT/OT collaboration and network separation. In the starter kit, hardware partitioning is provided by Lynx Separation Kernel (LSK). Additional features ideal for customers include the following:  •Nodes based on LynxSecure Separation Kernel Hypervisor  •Support for multiple guest OS (VMs)  •Virtual KVM support  •Explicit allocation of storage and other dedicated resources  •Precise definition of inter-VM connectivity and communication

“One of the primary concerns expressed to us by OT operators has been how to deploy edge technologies in the OT domain,” said Pavan Singh, vice president of product management, Lynx Software Technologies. “By leveraging virtual air gapping, OT operators can focus on the business benefits of new data and machine learning technologies without worrying about the impact on their operations.”

Advantech hardware devices targeted for both Level 1 operational hierarchy for direct control and Level 2 supervisory control include the MIC-770 modular industrial PC and the UNO-137 embedded automation computer. Depending on the level of consolidation needed, both devices combine with LYNX MOSA.ic for Industrial for an ideal OT/IT solution.

“We’re happy to be able to support the LYNX MOSA.ic for Industrial solution with our MIC-770 and UNO-137 industrial computing devices,” said Jon Towslee, Sr. Director, iFactory, Advantech Industrial IoT Group. “We’re always trying to offer more ways for customers to be able to securely and easily deploy solutions at the edge. Our goal is to continue working with innovative solution partners to make data connectivity easier and more efficient to adopt when utilizing our industrial, intelligent devices.”

Advantech’s MIC-770 series of PCs provide high-performance computing, multiple I/O interfaces, and flexible expandability with the integration of i-Modules and iDoor. They can be widely deployed to support various industrial IoT applications. The MIC-770 series can be equipped with a wide range of processors to provide custom entry-level and high-end solutions. With the provision of multiple I/O for connecting devices, MIC-770 systems can serve as a data gateway and industrial controller.

UNO-137 is an industrial-grade integrated IoT edge gateway ideal for industrial automation. Its new modular design includes a base unit and an optional extension kit, which supports Advantech’s iDoor technology to integrate additional industrial Fieldbus, I/O, and wireless communication.

@Advantech_USA @AdvantechEurope @LynxSoftware @NeeshamPR #PAuto #MissionCritical

Traps impeding OT data acquisition.

Oliver Wang, Product Marketing Manager, Edge Connectivity and Computing at Moxa explains the Three Types of Traps That Impede OT Data Acquisition

Industrial digital transformation seeks to break down the silos between an enterprise’s information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT), translating the physical behavior of OT devices into digital data, and distilling insights with the help of IT’s analysis.

Through OT-IT collaboration, these actionable insights can optimize the overall physical operational system. For instance, data from manufacturing execution systems (MESs) in factories can be integrated with the data from a customer relationship management (CRM) system to shorten time-to-delivery, expand production capacity, and reduce costs, among others.

However, according to the latest Industrial 4.0 Maturity Index, 96% of studied enterprises are still starting out on their digital transformation journey, while just 4% of the enterprises have attained the “visibility” or “analysis” maturity stage. Evidently, the journey has not been kind to most enterprises. Based on experience, the beginning is the hardest, with OT data acquisition being the most challenging part.

Three Types of Traps That Impede OT Data Acquisition

1. Invisible environmental traps: Imagine your OT data comes from a drilling well in the middle of a desert where temperatures range from 40 to 50°C, an oil pipeline system that stretches for hundreds of kilometers in freezing cold areas, a transportation system of a fast-moving train that deals with high levels of vibrations, a chemical fuel tank, or a switchgear system inside an unmanned high-voltage substation. A variety of environmental interferences, such as extreme temperatures, vibrations, airborne chemicals, and electromagnetic radiation, can easily cause the malfunction of OT data-acquisition electronics, which results in data transmission instability from time to time, or worse, data inaccuracy, which leads to errors in analyses later on. For example, the large automated warehouse systems in smart factories generate strong electromagnetic interference at the moment of startup, causing anomalies in the network equipment nearby. Network disruption, even if just for a second, could wreck the accuracy in the calculation of incoming inventory as well as the production process of the entire product batch.
2. Unexpected design traps: All OT equipment, from sensors and controllers to control systems, has one thing in common: it is intended to enable highly specialized industrial applications. By design, industrial equipment is for a special purpose. Controllers and sensors used in a drilling well are not the same as the ones supporting power monitoring devices, for example. But if you want to understand the correlation between control levels of a drilling well and power consumption, OT data must be collected from a variety of specialized equipment. Only now, most people realize that every device uses a specific communication protocol that only it can read and understand. Therefore, to glean OT data from more sources, it is necessary to first acquire the ability to “talk to” different devices; otherwise, it makes it much harder to analyze diverse OT data, and it entails direct cost increases.
3. Data identification traps: Data generated from OT equipment or systems is mostly raw data, meaning it does not come with context. For instance, PLCs collect temperature data from sensors deployed in a variety of locations to support monitoring. When the temperature goes above 45°C, fans will be switched on to bring the temperature down. However, for OT data analysts, the raw OT data (i.e., 45°C ) captured directly from the PLCs lacks context, as they cannot tell what devices were sourced, the data acquisition time, and data owners, etc. This raw data is nothing but a meaningless value in their eyes. Therefore, preprocessing raw data and giving it a context is a key aspect in OT data acquisition. To achieve this, OT equipment vendors must incorporate IT capabilities in their development focus as IT user habits are very much involved in the preprocessing of raw data. Furthermore, if there is too much data, data analysts will be drowned in the sheer workload of converting the collected data into a uniform format for a database, which, fortunately, can now be facilitated by data transformation technology.

Step Up OT Data Acquisition to Accelerate IT/OT Convergence
OT data plays a deciding role in whether an industrial digital transformation endeavor takes off or crashes before getting off the ground. Before starting a project, it is wise to take stock of the different ways of obtaining OT data and the types of OT data available, as well as plan for converting the data into the format and contextures required by the IT database. Avoid these three kinds of traps and align with your company’s needs to strengthen the OT data acquisition ability ahead of time. In doing so, IT/OT convergence will effectively have to be sped up to allow you to take the first step towards industrial digital transformation, firmly and steadily.

@MoxaInc @OConnell_PR #Pauto #Industrie4

IT and OT - beyond convergence.

ISA's Mary Ramsey

The International Society of Automation (ISA) has announced the release of its latest whitepaper, “Information Technology and Operations Technology: Beyond Convergence.”

The whitepaper begins by addressing the different approaches and priorities of security for information technology (IT) and operations technology (OT). It also explores why IT and OT can no longer be considered separately—especially when it comes to security—and it outlines the steps necessary for organizations to advance their IT/OT integration efforts.

Key highlights include:

• ISA’s definitions for information technology and operations technology • Examples of ways that the modern, interconnected world has changed traditional IT and OT security priorities and approaches, as well as five trends that complicate these shifts • A road map for moving organizations from isolation to convergence to integration

“The priorities and approaches of information technology and operations technology have begun to overlap in this increasingly connected world,” says Mary Ramsey, ISA executive director. “ISA’s latest whitepaper is an excellent resource for anyone who understands the importance of working together across teams to ensure strong cybersecurity at the organization level.”

@ISA_Interchange @irelandISA #PAuto #Cybersecurity