Securing Industrial Networks: Unpacking Elisity’s IEC 62443 Segmentation Approach for Enhanced Control Systems Security
Industrial control systems (ICS) are not exempt from known and unknown vulnerabilities, targeted attacks, phishing attempts, malware, and ransomware. The IEC 62443 standard places great emphasis on the importance of effective segmentation within IT and OT environments. In this solution brief, we’ll explore how Elisity can help organizations meet the segmentation requirements of the IEC 62443 standard and secure their industrial control systems.
The IEC 62443 standard and the Purdue model focus on the importance of segmentation in securing industrial control systems. Segmentation involves breaking down a process control network (PCN) into smaller, more secure segments. Microsegmentation allows for a more granular level of security by creating separate access policies for different industrial devices and systems within a production environment.
Traditional segmentation methods like firewalls and data diodes struggle to scale with the increasing complexity of modern networks. The IEC 62443 standard recommends implementing Zones, Subzones, and Conduits for effective segmentation.
Elisity enables organizations to confidently and automatically identify and group their critical assets, define zones or sub-zones, and build conduits to meet the IEC 62443 standard requirements without causing any loss of service.
In this example, an OT security engineer is tasked with implementing a segmentation strategy that complies with IEC 62443. The goals are to:
Elisity achieves these goals by leveraging existing access infrastructure to overlay virtual zones and conduits without requiring additional hardware or disrupting the production network.
Elisity uses Policy Groups to define Zones and Subzones by grouping assets based on a set of match criteria specified by the operator. These criteria leverage the asset attributes collected by Elisity, which can be enriched through integration with third-party asset identification engines such as Claroty and CMDBs like ServiceNow.
The Elisity Policy Matrix allows the OT security engineer to define the trusted and untrusted conduits within and between Zones and Subzones based on their mapped communication needs.
Elisity Cloud Control Center Policy Matrix
Elisity's solution offers a powerful and flexible approach to implementing IEC 62443 compliant segmentation in OT environments. Its innovative use of virtual zones, conduits, and integration with third-party systems provides numerous benefits for organizations seeking to enhance their ICS security. Here are the key benefits of using Elisity's solution:
In summary, Elisity's solution offers a modern approach to IEC 62443 compliant segmentation that simplifies the process, increases security, and reduces the costs and complexity typically associated with traditional segmentation methods. By leveraging virtual zones, conduits, and integration with third-party systems, organizations can confidently implement a robust ICS security strategy.
With Elisity, organizations can meet the IEC 62443 standard requirements for segmentation while gaining visibility into their PCN, refining security zones without heavy lifting, and controlling traffic between physical zones. By leveraging existing access infrastructure, Elisity provides a scalable and modern solution for ICS security.
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