Protecting Process Control Systems
Process control systems offer a number of challenges to protect them effectively and efficiently from viruses and malware, and the subsequent system slowdown associated with traditional anti-virus software solutions.
As demonstrated by the recent McAfee update which accidentally removed a core component of Microsoft Windows' XP OS, the traditional blacklisting approach employed by mainstream protection software can fail to distinguish between 'good' and 'bad' applications. The end result was the inoperability of the core OS for hundreds of thousands of PCs around the globe, an incident that could prove catastrophic in a process safety environment.
A new approach has emerged in recent times which, when employed in tightly controlled process control systems, can significantly reduce the risk of interruption to key operations. Application whitelisting identifies all software which is allowed to run on a particular piece of hardware, blocking anything not given the appropriate permission.
In order to effectively implement this type of protection for process control systems, Amor Group utilises Bouncer by CoreTrace, the market leading alternative to traditional anti-virus software.
Bouncer uses the opposite paradigm to anti-virus software, maintaining a whitelist to ensure no unauthorised access for any application to key systems. The software recognises changes to whitelisted software, meaning any new versions of files, file execution from new locations, DLL injections or system updates will be blocked from execution until approved by the defined Trusted Change Agents - preventing the type of interruption caused by the McAfee update.
By utilising this whitelist approach, Bouncer is more effective, yet carries less risk in terms of interrupting key systems and processes - particularly when considered in an Energy environment. With reduced demand on system resources and a lower total cost of ownership, Bouncer addresses all of the key problems associated with the application of traditional anti-virus protection within the process control arena.
To discuss further how Bouncer can enhance your process control system protection, please Contact Us.
