As digital transformation initiatives continue across industry, more and more data that would have once been relegated to local, isolated industrial control systems (ICS) is being shipped out via the internet to centralized cloud storage facilities, enterprise-level servers, and other remote sites. The benefits of this edge-to-cloud pipeline are numerous, ranging from allowing for higher-level analytics to reduce costs for on-site IT infrastructure.
Yet with these opportunities come new threats as well, and experts are taking note. In particular, operations technology (OT) that was once seen as secure is now proving to be a potential vector for cyber attacks.
To address these concerns, Claroty has recently unveiled its "zero-infrastructure" cybersecurity software, Claroty Edge. Typically, effective industrial control requires a complete inventory of all OT, IoT (Internet of Things), and IT assets, the company says. However, gaining this visibility can be challenging for several reasons: Traditional industrial asset inventory platforms may require additional hardware, have difficulty with geographically dispersed or air-gapped networks, or use inventory methods such as passive data collection and offline file-parsing that may not be compatible with all networks.
By contrast, Claroty Edge provides a Windows-based edge data collector that can deliver visibility into industrial networks to pinpoint risks and vulnerabilities including missing patches, insecure protocols, end-of-life indicators, and other common vulnerabilities and exposures.
According to the company, Claroty Edge is designed for use cases such as incident response, optimization of asset deployment, auditing and compliance tasks, and due diligence procedures for mergers and acquisitions. Regarding incident response, Claroty Edge can provide end users with a full vulnerability assessment of a compromised environment in real-time, allowing for faster response times.
“Cyber risks to industrial control systems have consequences not only for the organization, but also for public safety and the global supply chain, so every industrial enterprise has an obligation to start their cybersecurity journey,” said Grant Geyer, chief product officer at Claroty. “"With Claroty’s enhanced platform, organizations can take advantage of the capabilities that are right for their needs today and can evolve as the threat landscape changes and their cybersecurity programs mature.”
