Whitepaper Abstract
Securing our nation's critical power infrastructure has never been more important. Utilities systems are vulnerable to cyber threats, which can be malicious attacks from hackers or terrorists, as well as unintentional damage done by employees.
In response, industry regulators have implemented a number of regulations and standards to address these weaknesses and ensure the continued safe and reliable generation of electricity.
This NetSpi whitepaper discusses the options — including application whitelisting — that are available to harden critical systems and meet key regulatory requirements. In particular, the paper identifies options for addressing NERC Critical Infrastructure Protection standards CIP-002 through CIP-009.
This document summarizes a presentation on protecting industrial control systems (ICS) and SCADA networks. It discusses challenges with ICS including legacy equipment, long lifecycles, limited space and power, and life safety dependencies. It recommends understanding network flows, using the Purdue model for segmentation, and controlling removable media and configurations. Logging and disaster recovery are also important. While some enterprise IT concepts apply, ICS has differences in patching, applications, and dependencies on services. Remote access requires security, and training blends information security with ICS sensitivities.
Routeco cyber security and secure remote access 1 01
There is typically a 15:1 ratio of industrial devices to enterprise devices within a manufacturing plant. The industrial internet of things presents opportunities for growth but also increased risks of disruption through threats like theft, natural disasters, unauthorized access, and malware. A defense-in-depth security approach is recommended, incorporating physical security, network segmentation, firewalls, authentication, and monitoring to protect industrial control systems.
Job aid framework-for-improving-critical-infrastructure-cybersecurity-core-jwd
This document provides a summary of key areas and objectives for cyber security frameworks. It discusses concepts for detecting anomalies and events, maintaining detection processes, performing security continuous monitoring, identifying assets and the business environment, assessing risks, establishing a risk management strategy, controlling access to assets, providing security awareness training, protecting data and information, maintaining security policies and procedures, and performing maintenance. The document lists specific objectives and related standards for each concept area.
This document provides guidance on securing industrial control systems (ICS), including supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, distributed control systems (DCS), and programmable logic controllers (PLC). It discusses ICS and typical topologies, identifies common threats and vulnerabilities, and recommends security countermeasures. The document aims to address ICS unique performance, reliability, and safety requirements. It has been updated with the latest ICS threats, practices, architectures, activities, and security capabilities. An overlay of tailored NIST SP 800-53 controls for low, moderate, and high impact ICS is included.
ICSA 2019 Architectural Security Weaknesses in Industrial Control SystemsDanielleGonzalez25
Architectural Security Weaknesses in Industrial Control Systems; An Empirical Study Based on Disclosed Software Vulnerabilities
Presented March 2019 at the IEEE International Conference on Software Architecture (ICSA) in Hamburg, Germany
The document provides guidance on securing industrial control systems through a defense-in-depth approach. It summarizes the Purdue Model for Control Hierarchy, which defines five zones and six levels of operations for industrial control systems. It then presents a reference architecture based on this model, with multiple zones and security controls between the enterprise, manufacturing and process zones. Specifically, it identifies security patterns and controls for access control, log management, network security and remote access that are critical for industrial control system security.
This document summarizes a presentation on protecting industrial control systems (ICS) and SCADA networks. It discusses challenges with ICS including legacy equipment, long lifecycles, limited space and power, and life safety dependencies. It recommends understanding network flows, using the Purdue model for segmentation, and controlling removable media and configurations. Logging and disaster recovery are also important. While some enterprise IT concepts apply, ICS has differences in patching, applications, and dependencies on services. Remote access requires security, and training blends information security with ICS sensitivities.
Routeco cyber security and secure remote access 1 01RoutecoMarketing
There is typically a 15:1 ratio of industrial devices to enterprise devices within a manufacturing plant. The industrial internet of things presents opportunities for growth but also increased risks of disruption through threats like theft, natural disasters, unauthorized access, and malware. A defense-in-depth security approach is recommended, incorporating physical security, network segmentation, firewalls, authentication, and monitoring to protect industrial control systems.
Job aid framework-for-improving-critical-infrastructure-cybersecurity-core-jwdJames W. De Rienzo
This document provides a summary of key areas and objectives for cyber security frameworks. It discusses concepts for detecting anomalies and events, maintaining detection processes, performing security continuous monitoring, identifying assets and the business environment, assessing risks, establishing a risk management strategy, controlling access to assets, providing security awareness training, protecting data and information, maintaining security policies and procedures, and performing maintenance. The document lists specific objectives and related standards for each concept area.
An introduction to Security in Control Systems.
Includes a brief description of what a Control System is, and what the basic constraints that are encountered when attempting to secure these systems
The NIST SP 800-82 document provides guidance on establishing secure industrial control systems (ICS). It discusses ICS characteristics and security challenges. It recommends developing a comprehensive ICS security program that includes senior management support, risk assessments, defined policies and procedures, inventory of assets, and training. It also provides recommendations on network architecture design and implementing NIST SP 800-53 security controls for ICS environments.
Nozomi Networks is the leader of industrial cybersecurity, delivering real-time visibility to manage cyber risk & improve resilience for industrial operations. With one solution, customers gain advanced cybersecurity, improved operational reliability & easy IT/OT integration. Innovating the use of artificial intelligence, the company helps the largest industrial sites around the world See and Secure™ their critical industrial control networks. Today Nozomi Networks supports over a quarter of a million devices in the critical infrastructure, energy, manufacturing, mining, transportation & utility sectors, making it possible to tackle the escalating cyber risks to operational networks (OT).
Are your industrial networks protected...Ethernet Security Firewalls Schneider Electric
Security incidents rise at an alarming rate each year. As the complexity of the threats increases, so do the security measures required to protect industrial networks. Plant operations personnel need to understand security basics as plant processes integrate with outside networks. This paper reviews network security fundamentals, with an emphasis on firewalls specific to industry applications. The variety of firewalls is defined, explained, and compared.
Critical Infrastructure Security by Subodh BelgiClubHack
Industrial Automation & Control Systems are an integral part of various manufacturing & process industries as well as national critical infrastructure. Concerns regarding cyber-security of control systems are related to both the legacy nature of some of the systems as well as the growing trend to connect industrial control systems to corporate networks. These concerns have led to a number of identified vulnerabilities and have introduced new categories of threats that have not been seen before in the industrial control systems domain. Many of the legacy systems may not have appropriate security capabilities that can defend against modern day threats, and the requirements for availability and performance can preclude using contemporary cyber-security solutions. To address cyber-security issues for industrial control systems, a clear understanding of the security challenges and specific defensive countermeasures is required. The session will highlight some of the latest cyber security risks faced by industrial automation and control systems along with essential security controls & countermeasures.
1. The document discusses security issues related to industrial control systems and safety instrumented systems. It notes that increased connectivity between operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) systems has led to growing security threats.
2. The document outlines various security challenges, including potential sabotage of process plant safety systems, loss of safety functions, and compliance with standards and regulations. It analyzes the increasing attack surface and most critical threats to industrial control systems.
3. The document compares approaches to safety and security, referring to relevant standards. It provides an overview of security standards and frameworks like ISA/IEC 62443 that can be used to assess industrial control systems security.
The Nozomi Networks solution improves ICS cyber resiliency and provides real-time operational visibility. Major customers have improved reliability, cybersecurity and operational efficiency using our technology. Learn more about our solutions and technology here and how they can bring immediate benefit to your industrial control system (ICS)
Learn what makes SCADAguardian (the Nozomi Networks flagship technology) so unique and powerful. From enterprise IT, to OT, we enable scalable security strategies for ICS.
NIST Policy Mapped to 800-53-800-53A-controls-and-objectives (Legal Size)James W. De Rienzo
This document provides a mapping of program management and privacy control policies and procedures to various NIST cybersecurity documents. It shows that 17 control families have policies and procedures that map to between 1-7 total NIST documents each, with Identification and Authentication mapping to the most at 7 documents. The total number of mappings in the document is 48.
The document discusses cyber security issues related to industrial control systems (ICS) and critical infrastructures. It notes the increasing interdependence between critical infrastructures and the potential for cyber threats to cause disruptions. The document outlines the heterogeneous nature of ICS/SCADA environments and some historical reasons they were considered secure. However, technological changes like increased connectivity now expose these systems to threats. The document advocates a "defense-in-depth" approach to secure ICS, including segregating networks, controlling remote access, and adopting security practices from frameworks. Failure to properly secure ICS could allow threats to cause availability issues, data loss or corruption, and operational disruptions impacting public safety.
Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) networks are used to control large industrial machines and systems remotely. SCADA systems were designed for efficiency, not security, so they are vulnerable to exploitation. There are numerous entry points for attackers, including wireless networks connecting SCADA systems, gateways between computer and SCADA networks, and modifying unencrypted command traffic. Organizations need to implement controls separating SCADA networks, monitor for abnormalities, regularly upgrade firmware, and consider the human element for securely controlling SCADA systems.
The document outlines 20 critical controls for cyber defense that organizations should implement, including:
1) Implementing boundary defenses like firewalls and proxies to control inbound and outbound network traffic.
2) Ensuring secure configurations on network devices and enforcing wireless security best practices.
3) Limiting ports, protocols, and services to only those that are necessary and scanning for vulnerabilities.
4) Implementing controls like malware prevention, patch management, and hardware/software security standards to protect systems.
The document discusses securing industrial control systems (ICS) infrastructure for compliance with NERC CIP standards and beyond. It outlines the network security challenges for bulk power systems in meeting compliance standards while balancing performance and costs. Real-world security vulnerabilities are described from assessments done by the GAO and Department of Energy. The paper then explains how a unified threat management approach using a single security platform can help simplify NERC compliance by providing firewall, VPN, antivirus, IPS, and authentication capabilities required without needing separate point products. This integrated solution secures the infrastructure while maintaining performance.
How Test Labs Reduce Cyber Security Threats to Industrial Control Systemse cy...Schneider Electric
Federal agencies are moving their industrial control systems (ICS) from operational business networks to separate, dedicated networks in order to enhance security. However, without a system to test the new equipment and software coming into these separate networks, security risks will persist. This paper explores the impact on security of instituting a sanctioned ICS test lab and recommends best practices for setting up and operating these labs.
Whitepaper Abstract
This white paper explains why application whitelisting is being rapidly adopted as a security and control solution for control systems.
In three major sections, the paper:
Provides a detailed perspective on how application whitelisting technology works.
Discusses the use and benefits of whitelisting technologies in control system and Energy environments.
Explains how the technology is adapting to function in environments where controlled software changes are needed.
CoreTrace Whitepaper: Application Whitelisting And Energy SystemsCoreTrace Corporation
Whitepaper Abstract
This white paper explains why application whitelisting is being rapidly adopted as a security and control solution for SCADA systems.
In three major sections, the paper:
Provides a detailed perspective on how application whitelisting technology works.
Discusses the use and benefits of whitelisting technologies in SCADA and Energy environments.
Explains how the technology is adapting to function in environments where controlled software changes are needed.
Dhana Raj Markandu: Control System Cybersecurity - Challenges in a New Energy...Dhana Raj Markandu
Conference on Electricity Power Supply Industry (CEPSI) 2012, Bali, Indonesia
(Accepted for presentation but not published due to unforeseen withdrawal of author)
This document discusses industrial control system (ICS) cybersecurity. It begins with an introduction to ICS, including supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, distributed control systems (DCS), and programmable logic controllers (PLC). It then compares ICS and IT security, discussing risks specific to ICS. The document outlines the risk management process and describes ICS security architecture, including network segmentation. It also covers authentication, firewall implementation, and applying the six steps of the NIST risk management framework to implement security controls for ICS.
Presentation from the EPRI-Sandia Symposium on Secure and Resilient Microgrids: Cyber Security R&D for Microgrids, presented by Jason Stamp, Sandia National Laboratories, Baltimore, MD, August 29-31, 2016.
IRJET- SDN Simulation in Mininet to Provide Security Via FirewallIRJET Journal
This document discusses implementing a firewall application in a Software Defined Networking (SDN) environment using Mininet and the POX controller. The authors create an SDN network topology in Mininet with hosts and switches. They develop an OpenFlow-based firewall that checks incoming packets against rules defined in the POX controller. This allows filtering of traffic and blocking of unauthorized access in a centralized, software-based way without dedicated hardware. The firewall implementation and experiment results using this SDN testbed are presented.
Critical Information Infrastructure Systems WorldwideAngela Hays
The document discusses the training that the author underwent at Finetech Controls Pvt. Ltd., which covered the fundamentals of industrial automation including components like switches, sensors, controllers, drives, and programmable logic controllers. The training also included how to operate and program PLCs to remotely control industrial processes, as well as the basics of variable frequency drives for motor speed and rotation control. The author was educated on the principles, applications, and installation of automation equipment used in manufacturing and material handling processes.
IRJET- Secure Scheme For Cloud-Based Multimedia Content StorageIRJET Journal
This document proposes a secure scheme for cloud-based multimedia content storage. It has two novel components: (1) a method to create signatures for 3D videos that captures depth signals efficiently, and (2) a distributed matching engine for multimedia objects that achieves high scalability. The system was implemented and deployed on Amazon and private clouds. Experiments on over 11,000 3D videos and 1 million images showed the system accurately detects over 98% of copies, outperforming YouTube's protection system which fails to detect most 3D video copies. The system provides cost-efficient, scalable multimedia content protection leveraging cloud infrastructure.
The document summarizes a security solution called OTPS that is designed to protect utility control systems from vulnerabilities. It notes that control systems have become more vulnerable as they integrate with corporate networks and use commercial operating systems. The OTPS solution uses security event management, intrusion detection, and other tools to monitor systems for breaches, protect critical infrastructure, and detect and prevent security issues across networks, protocols, processes and system health. It is presented as a customizable, scalable solution to implement security best practices for utility control environments.
Light sec for utilities and critical infrastructure white paperGeorge Wainblat
The document discusses LightSEC, a cyber security solution from ECI that provides comprehensive protection for utilities and critical infrastructure. It consists of a suite of security services that incorporate threat detection, prevention, and mitigation technologies. These services are delivered through a cloud-based platform called Mercury that uses network function virtualization for flexible deployment. LightSEC also includes a threat management platform called LightSEC-V that aggregates security data from across the solution to provide a consolidated view of risks.
The document analyzes the cybersecurity of 5 building management system (BMS) components from 4 vendors. It finds that a significant number of BMS devices are directly accessible from the internet, and the components share common design flaws like default credentials, lack of input sanitization, and insecure firmware updates. The research uncovered over 100 vulnerabilities in total, demonstrating how an attacker could achieve unauthenticated remote code execution on the systems and potentially impact over 10 million people. It recommends vendors improve security standards for BMS products.
Getting the Most Value from VM and Compliance Programs white paperTawnia Beckwith
- The document discusses how organizations can get the most value from their vulnerability management and compliance programs. It addresses common obstacles such as incomplete network coverage, lack of stakeholder buy-in, and providing reports tailored to different audiences.
- Key recommendations include revisiting program goals, ensuring comprehensive network scanning, generating automated reports for stakeholders, addressing organizational resistance, and properly supporting security teams. Following these recommendations can help programs more effectively measure and reduce security risks over time.
NIST Guide- Situational Awareness for Electric UtilitiesDr Dev Kambhampati
This document is a draft of a NIST special publication providing guidance on situational awareness solutions for electric utilities. It includes an executive summary, approach, architecture, and security characteristics for implementing situational awareness. The publication describes a NCCoE project that developed an example solution to converge monitoring across IT, operational technology, and physical access systems in order to improve utilities' ability to detect cyberattacks and security incidents. The solution is presented as a modular guide to help utilities implement standards-based technologies in a risk-based manner to gain efficiencies in monitoring, identification, and response to cyber incidents.
Dr Dev Kambhampati | Electric Utilities Situational AwarenessDr Dev Kambhampati
This document is a draft of a NIST special publication providing guidance on situational awareness solutions for electric utilities. It includes an executive summary, approach, architecture, and security characteristics for implementing situational awareness. The publication describes a challenge electric utilities face in gaining comprehensive visibility across separate IT, operational technology, and physical security systems. It then outlines a solution developed by NIST to integrate these systems using commercial and open source tools to improve detection of cybersecurity incidents and support regulatory compliance. The benefits of the solution include improved cybersecurity, faster incident response, and more effective risk management.
Cyber-Defensive Architecture for Networked Industrial Control SystemsIJEACS
This paper deals with the inevitable consequence of the convenience and efficiency we benefit from the open, networked control system operation of safety-critical applications: vulnerability to such system from cyber-attacks. Even with numerous metrics and methods for intrusion detection and mitigation strategy, a complete detection and deterrence of internal code flaws and outside cyber-attacks has not been found and would not be found anytime soon. Considering the ever incompleteness of detection and prevention and the impact and consequence of mal-functions of the safety-critical operations caused by cyber incidents, this paper proposes a new computer control system architecture which assures resiliency even under compromised situations. The proposed architecture is centered on diversification of hardware systems and unidirectional communication from the proposed system in alerting suspicious activities to upper layers. This paper details the architectural structure of the proposed cyber defensive computer control system architecture for power substation applications and its validation in lab experimentation and on a cybersecurity testbed.
Comparison Review Forticlient x Kaspersky.pdfImamBahrudin5
See this side-by-side comparison of FortiClient vs. Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business based on preference data from user reviews. FortiClient rates 4.4/5 stars with 200 reviews. By contrast, Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business rates 4.3/5 stars with 183 reviews. Each product's score is calculated with real-time data from verified user reviews, to help you make the best choice between these two options, and decide which one is best for your business needs.
Robust Cyber Security for Power UtilitiesNir Cohen
The security of critical networks is at the center of attention of industry and government regulators alike. Check Point and RAD offer a joint end-to-end cyber security solution that protects any utility operational technology (OT) network by eliminating RTU and SCADA equipment vulnerabilities, as well as defends against cyber-attacks on the network’s control and data planes. This solution brief explains how the joint solution enables compliance with NERC-CIP directives, provides deep visibility and control of ICS/SCADA communications, and allows secure remote access into OT networks.
Asset Utilization Metrics Propel a Revival in Safety SolutionsARC Advisory Group
Asset Utilization Metrics Propel a Revival in Safety Solutions
Health and safety in the workplace has not always been a primary consideration
in manufacturing environments. However, there is a renewed
interest in safety emanating from Europe, highlighted by the European
Norm standard EN 954-1, which is garnering interest
in Japan and North America. Safety
technology has progressed considerably since the
first emergency stop relay appeared on the market,
and the future will bring new developments
to this technology. Improvement in the implementation
of current safety standards is mutually
beneficial for the protection of both man and machine
with the reduction of workplace accidents, lost output, damage to
machinery, and insurance premiums while resulting in an increase in Overall
Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). Manufacturers are currently reevaluating
the safety aspects of their machines and devices so as to provide
the safest possible workplace environment.
A new generation of safety solutions have
emerged that are more effective in
preventing accidents, less costly to
implement, more easily to adapt, more
reliable than existing hard wired systems,
and results in an increase in Overall
Equipment Effectiveness.
Similar to NetSpi Whitepaper: Hardening Critical Systems At Electrical Utilities (20)
Microsoft has tacitly declared that the default ‘status-quo’ security model for Windows simply isn't enough. With Windows 7, Microsoft has introduced new technology, dubbed AppLocker, that further legitimizes application whitelisting as the anti-malware approach of the future.
But does the technology, as delivered from Microsoft, have what it takes for IT administrators to give it true enterprise-wide adoption?
This paper, written by Jeremy Moskowitz, MCSE, MCSA, Microsoft Group Policy MVP and Chief Propeller-Head for Moskowitz, Inc, helps IT Practitioners and IT Managers learn:
How to implement and leverage AppLocker to perform application whitelisting,
The limitations inherent within AppLocker, and
How other tools — like BOUNCER by CoreTrace — can fill in the gaps that AppLocker leaves.
Whitepaper Abstract
The Payment Card Industry (PCI) computer systems are continually under attack due to the importance of the information they protect. In response to this threat, the PCI has produced an excellent series of process and security tool requirements known as the Data Security Standard (DSS). The DSS identifies a series of principles and accompanying requirements that are critical to the integrity of the industry's computer systems.
This paper outlines relevant PCI DSS requirements and discusses how BOUNCER by CoreTrace provides an elegant solution for meeting many of the requirements — in any PCI environment with sensitive data, from large servers processing thousands of transactions to small kiosks in the mall.
Whitepaper Abstract
Any technology investment today must have an attractive ROI. This paper demonstrates the ROI associated with implementing the leading application whitelisting solution, BOUNCER by CoreTrace. Using a 500-server example, the paper outlines the various levers that generate a rapid and significant ROI. Not only does BOUNCER provide dramatically improved endpoint security, it does so at a significant savings of $938,085 over Endpoint Security 1.0 solutions — a savings of $846 per-server per-year. Moreover, the BOUNCER implementation is forecasted to pay for itself in less than 10 months.
Whitepaper Abstract
Some malware threats are simply nuisances, and then there are truly dangerous and malicious ones. In the latter category, buffer overflow attacks and rootkits are the favorites of professional hackers. Often they are used in tandem, with a buffer overflow providing the way in and a rootkit providing a highly stealthy way to stay in.
This whitepaper explains these two threats and why traditional security approaches have been largely ineffective against them. Then the paper outlines how Endpoint Security 2.0 solutions using kernel-level application whitelisting can effectively neutralize the threats and provide greater peace of mind.
CoreTrace Whitepaper: Application Whitelisting -- A New Security ParadigmCoreTrace Corporation
Whitepaper Abstract
Blacklist-based antivirus products and emergency security patches have traditionally been the core elements of Endpoint Security 1.0 strategies. Endpoint Security 1.0's failures have been well documented in the headlines: data breaches, identity theft, cyberextortion, etc. However, Endpoint Security 1.0 approaches continued for one very simple reason: the absence of a superior alternative.
Fortunately, highly secure and easily updated application whitelisting is now available to provide superior endpoint security. Application whitelisting is at the core of Endpoint Security 2.0 offerings. This whitepaper explains the fundamental motivations behind the movement to Endpoint Security 2.0 and outlines a means to compare alternatives.
Feldman-Encari: Malicious Software Prevention For NERC CIP-007 ComplianceCoreTrace Corporation
Whitepaper by Encari's co-founder and the Mid-West ISO's chairman.
Matthew Luallen, co-founder of Encari, and Paul Feldman, chairman of the Mid-West ISO, have written a whitepaper that explains how utilities attempting to meet the North American Electric Reliability Corporation "Critical Infrastructure Protection" (NERC CIP) requirements can meet both the spirit and the letter of the regulations.
The whitepaper provides insights and recommendations around the following topics:
Utilities should go beyond "checking the box" to meeting the true intention of the NERC CIP requirements: protecting the reliability and availability of the Bulk Electric System (BES).
Traditional security solutions (e.g., blacklist-based antivirus, emergency security patches) not only fail to protect reliability and availability, they may negatively impact the goals themselves.
In addition to superior protection against even zero-day attacks, application whitelisting is gaining a following because it addresses the operational realities associated with control system implementations that blacklist-based solutions cannot.
Application whitelisting simultaneously helps address NERC CIP-007, R3 (security patching); CIP-007, R4 (anti-malware); and even NERC CIP-003, R6 (change control and configuration management).
BOUNCER is an endpoint security solution that helps organizations meet multiple PCI Data Security Standard requirements by enforcing application whitelists and maintaining system configurations. It protects against viruses, malware, and zero-day exploits. BOUNCER also includes a host-based firewall and monitors network access to detect policy violations. The solution secures payment systems from both internal and external threats while imposing minimal performance overhead.
Matthew Luallen, Founder and CEO of Encari, and Paul Feldman, Chairman of the Mid-West ISO, have written a whitepaper that explains how utilities attempting to meet the North American Electric Reliability Corporation "Critical Infrastructure Protection" (NERC CIP) requirements can meet both the spirit and the letter of the regulations.
Understanding Insider Security Threats: Types, Examples, Effects, and Mitigat...Bert Blevins
Today’s digitally connected world presents a wide range of security challenges for enterprises. Insider security threats are particularly noteworthy because they have the potential to cause significant harm. Unlike external threats, insider risks originate from within the company, making them more subtle and challenging to identify. This blog aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of insider security threats, including their types, examples, effects, and mitigation techniques.
Transcript: Details of description part II: Describing images in practice - T...BookNet Canada
This presentation explores the practical application of image description techniques. Familiar guidelines will be demonstrated in practice, and descriptions will be developed “live”! If you have learned a lot about the theory of image description techniques but want to feel more confident putting them into practice, this is the presentation for you. There will be useful, actionable information for everyone, whether you are working with authors, colleagues, alone, or leveraging AI as a collaborator.
Link to presentation recording and slides: https://bnctechforum.ca/sessions/details-of-description-part-ii-describing-images-in-practice/
Presented by BookNet Canada on June 25, 2024, with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
Kief Morris rethinks the infrastructure code delivery lifecycle, advocating for a shift towards composable infrastructure systems. We should shift to designing around deployable components rather than code modules, use more useful levels of abstraction, and drive design and deployment from applications rather than bottom-up, monolithic architecture and delivery.
BT & Neo4j: Knowledge Graphs for Critical Enterprise Systems.pptx.pdfNeo4j
Presented at Gartner Data & Analytics, London Maty 2024. BT Group has used the Neo4j Graph Database to enable impressive digital transformation programs over the last 6 years. By re-imagining their operational support systems to adopt self-serve and data lead principles they have substantially reduced the number of applications and complexity of their operations. The result has been a substantial reduction in risk and costs while improving time to value, innovation, and process automation. Join this session to hear their story, the lessons they learned along the way and how their future innovation plans include the exploration of uses of EKG + Generative AI.
Are you interested in dipping your toes in the cloud native observability waters, but as an engineer you are not sure where to get started with tracing problems through your microservices and application landscapes on Kubernetes? Then this is the session for you, where we take you on your first steps in an active open-source project that offers a buffet of languages, challenges, and opportunities for getting started with telemetry data.
The project is called openTelemetry, but before diving into the specifics, we’ll start with de-mystifying key concepts and terms such as observability, telemetry, instrumentation, cardinality, percentile to lay a foundation. After understanding the nuts and bolts of observability and distributed traces, we’ll explore the openTelemetry community; its Special Interest Groups (SIGs), repositories, and how to become not only an end-user, but possibly a contributor.We will wrap up with an overview of the components in this project, such as the Collector, the OpenTelemetry protocol (OTLP), its APIs, and its SDKs.
Attendees will leave with an understanding of key observability concepts, become grounded in distributed tracing terminology, be aware of the components of openTelemetry, and know how to take their first steps to an open-source contribution!
Key Takeaways: Open source, vendor neutral instrumentation is an exciting new reality as the industry standardizes on openTelemetry for observability. OpenTelemetry is on a mission to enable effective observability by making high-quality, portable telemetry ubiquitous. The world of observability and monitoring today has a steep learning curve and in order to achieve ubiquity, the project would benefit from growing our contributor community.
Details of description part II: Describing images in practice - Tech Forum 2024BookNet Canada
This presentation explores the practical application of image description techniques. Familiar guidelines will be demonstrated in practice, and descriptions will be developed “live”! If you have learned a lot about the theory of image description techniques but want to feel more confident putting them into practice, this is the presentation for you. There will be useful, actionable information for everyone, whether you are working with authors, colleagues, alone, or leveraging AI as a collaborator.
Link to presentation recording and transcript: https://bnctechforum.ca/sessions/details-of-description-part-ii-describing-images-in-practice/
Presented by BookNet Canada on June 25, 2024, with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
Quality Patents: Patents That Stand the Test of TimeAurora Consulting
Is your patent a vanity piece of paper for your office wall? Or is it a reliable, defendable, assertable, property right? The difference is often quality.
Is your patent simply a transactional cost and a large pile of legal bills for your startup? Or is it a leverageable asset worthy of attracting precious investment dollars, worth its cost in multiples of valuation? The difference is often quality.
Is your patent application only good enough to get through the examination process? Or has it been crafted to stand the tests of time and varied audiences if you later need to assert that document against an infringer, find yourself litigating with it in an Article 3 Court at the hands of a judge and jury, God forbid, end up having to defend its validity at the PTAB, or even needing to use it to block pirated imports at the International Trade Commission? The difference is often quality.
Quality will be our focus for a good chunk of the remainder of this season. What goes into a quality patent, and where possible, how do you get it without breaking the bank?
** Episode Overview **
In this first episode of our quality series, Kristen Hansen and the panel discuss:
⦿ What do we mean when we say patent quality?
⦿ Why is patent quality important?
⦿ How to balance quality and budget
⦿ The importance of searching, continuations, and draftsperson domain expertise
⦿ Very practical tips, tricks, examples, and Kristen’s Musts for drafting quality applications
https://www.aurorapatents.com/patently-strategic-podcast.html
The Rise of Supernetwork Data Intensive ComputingLarry Smarr
Invited Remote Lecture to SC21
The International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis
St. Louis, Missouri
November 18, 2021
TrustArc Webinar - 2024 Data Privacy Trends: A Mid-Year Check-InTrustArc
Six months into 2024, and it is clear the privacy ecosystem takes no days off!! Regulators continue to implement and enforce new regulations, businesses strive to meet requirements, and technology advances like AI have privacy professionals scratching their heads about managing risk.
What can we learn about the first six months of data privacy trends and events in 2024? How should this inform your privacy program management for the rest of the year?
Join TrustArc, Goodwin, and Snyk privacy experts as they discuss the changes we’ve seen in the first half of 2024 and gain insight into the concrete, actionable steps you can take to up-level your privacy program in the second half of the year.
This webinar will review:
- Key changes to privacy regulations in 2024
- Key themes in privacy and data governance in 2024
- How to maximize your privacy program in the second half of 2024
7 Most Powerful Solar Storms in the History of Earth.pdfEnterprise Wired
Solar Storms (Geo Magnetic Storms) are the motion of accelerated charged particles in the solar environment with high velocities due to the coronal mass ejection (CME).
Scaling Connections in PostgreSQL Postgres Bangalore(PGBLR) Meetup-2 - MydbopsMydbops
This presentation, delivered at the Postgres Bangalore (PGBLR) Meetup-2 on June 29th, 2024, dives deep into connection pooling for PostgreSQL databases. Aakash M, a PostgreSQL Tech Lead at Mydbops, explores the challenges of managing numerous connections and explains how connection pooling optimizes performance and resource utilization.
Key Takeaways:
* Understand why connection pooling is essential for high-traffic applications
* Explore various connection poolers available for PostgreSQL, including pgbouncer
* Learn the configuration options and functionalities of pgbouncer
* Discover best practices for monitoring and troubleshooting connection pooling setups
* Gain insights into real-world use cases and considerations for production environments
This presentation is ideal for:
* Database administrators (DBAs)
* Developers working with PostgreSQL
* DevOps engineers
* Anyone interested in optimizing PostgreSQL performance
Contact info@mydbops.com for PostgreSQL Managed, Consulting and Remote DBA Services
How RPA Help in the Transportation and Logistics Industry.pptxSynapseIndia
Revolutionize your transportation processes with our cutting-edge RPA software. Automate repetitive tasks, reduce costs, and enhance efficiency in the logistics sector with our advanced solutions.
How Social Media Hackers Help You to See Your Wife's Message.pdfHackersList
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NetSpi Whitepaper: Hardening Critical Systems At Electrical Utilities
1. White Paper
Hardening Critical Systems at Electrical Utilities
Meeting Regulatory Requirements Through Endpoint Controls
Ryan Wakeham
Senior Security Consultant, NetSPI
The electrical industry addresses cyber security
Securing our nation’s critical power infrastructure has never been more
important. Electrical power utilities generate and distribute the energy that
is needed to drive the economy, as well as daily life, in modern America.
However, these utilities depend on networks of aging systems and devices and
are therefore vulnerable to cyber threats, which can be malicious attacks from Utilities depend on networks
hackers or terrorists, as well as unintentional damage done by employees. of aging systems and
In response to the risks posed by insufficient cyber security controls, industry devices and are therefore
regulators and organizations such as the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (FERC), the North American Electric Reliability Corporation vulnerable to cyber threats,
(NERC), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and the Nuclear Energy which can be malicious
Institute (NEI) have implemented a number of regulations and standards to
address these weakness and ensure the continued safe and reliable generation attacks from hackers
of electricity. In particular, the NERC Critical Infrastructure Protection standards
CIP-002 through CIP-009 provide a cyber security framework for non-nuclear or terrorists, as well as
facilities. These standards require critical cyber asset identification, in additional unintentional damage done
to certain physical, logical, and administrative controls.
by employees.
Regulatory requirements
The key systems that utilities typically identify as critical cyber assets
include servers and workstations in process or SCADA environments. These
environments are central to the efficient generation and distribution of power;
therefore, the servers and workstations that operate in concert with digital
devices throughout power plants and the electrical grid must be available and
functioning properly around the clock. The need for high availability in these
systems, combined with the fact that they run proprietary software applications,
means that they are rarely protected by controls such as security patches and
anti-malware programs that are often taken for granted in other environments.
continued on next page
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2. White Paper
Hardening Critical Systems at Electrical Utilities
The NERC CIPs apply a number of requirements to these sorts of systems.
For example, the CIPs require configuration hardening (CIP-007 R2), patch
management or compensating controls (CIP-007 R3), anti-malware controls
(CIP-007 R4), and security monitoring and logging (CIP-007 R6). Because
process and SCADA servers and workstations are often not suited to more
conventional controls, electrical utilities may find it difficult to fulfill these
requirements in an appropriate way. However, a relatively new set of solutions,
dubbed “endpoint security” or “endpoint control,” shows great promise in
helping utilities to meet these requirements laid out in the NERC CIPs.
The whitelist approach
What is endpoint control?
adheres to the fundamental
While the term “endpoint control” may mean different things to different people, security tenet of denying by
endpoint control products generally provide administrators with more granular
control over the systems for which they are responsible. The first generation of default all applications and
these products includes anti-malware scanners, host-based firewalls, and other
processes except those
host-based software that can be configured to control access to removable
media and the network. The second generation increases the abilities of that have been granted
administrators to control the activities occurring on endpoint systems through
the use of technologies such as application and process whitelisting. explicit permission to run.
A first-generation control product such as an anti-malware scanner relies on
signature matching with a blacklist or else uses heuristic-based guessing to
determine if an application or process should be allowed to run. By contrast,
the whitelist approach adheres to the fundamental security tenet of denying
by default all applications and processes except those that have been granted
explicit permission to run. This approach both eliminates the chance that an
unknown or unidentified process will be run and also gives administrators
the capability to control processes at a much more granular level than was
previously possible.
continued on next page
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612-465-8880
3. White Paper
Hardening Critical Systems at Electrical Utilities
Endpoint control in process environments
Endpoint control products can provide significant benefits when implemented
in process systems. For one thing, process environments are fairly static,
with servers and workstations running only a limited number of pre-defined
applications and services. In such an environment, endpoint control solutions
that use application whitelisting can prevent unauthorized applications from
ever executing.
If properly implemented, this level of control can protect these critical systems Application whitelisting
from threats that originate at the network, that may be introduced by removable
media, or that are already resident on the system. Additionally, application can eliminate the need for
whitelisting can eliminate the need for security patching because potential security patching because
malware or exploits are prevented from ever running. This reduces the
administrative burden of applying security patches and also minimizes the potential malware or
downtime of these critical systems. Finally, because no full-system malware
scans ever need to be performed, a properly designed whitelisting solution has exploits are prevented from
the potential to minimize the negative impact on system performance. ever running.
Of course, endpoint control solutions are just one piece in a multi-layer
defensive strategy. An endpoint control solution will be unable to directly provide
additional security to digital devices such as programmable logic controllers
(PLCs) and remote terminal units (RTUs). These PLCs and RTUs, which rarely
have security controls more sophisticated than a password, are abundant in
process networks, including within power plants and across the bulk power grid.
In light of this reality, other logical controls, such as network segmentation and
firewalls, should be deployed in addition to endpoint control solutions.
continued on next page
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612-465-8880
4. White Paper
Hardening Critical Systems at Electrical Utilities
What to look for in an application whitelisting solution
As with any security product, the effectiveness with which the solution performs
its task is the critical deciding factor. The most effective whitelisting solutions
need to operate at the kernel level of the operating system in order to ensure
that they cannot be undermined. This should give the additional advantage of
allowing the solution to monitor and manage network-level activity.
Finally, no matter how well a security solution may enforce controls, it will
not be completely effective if it is difficult to manage over a potentially large The most effective
environment; for administrators, the management features of the solution
are just as important as the security controls that it provides. These features whitelisting solutions need
should include the ability to configure multiple hosts as a group and apply to operate at the kernel
policies remotely, as well as provide monitoring, logging, alerting, and reporting
features. level of the operating
The whitelisting software that meets both the security and the management system in order to ensure
requirements fills an important need for endpoint control that supports that they cannot be
regulatory requirements in electric utilities.
undermined.
The table on the following page maps several NERC CIP requirements to
important features of an application whitelisting solution.
continued on next page
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5. White Paper
Hardening Critical Systems at Electrical Utilities
Requirement Applicable Excerpt Whitelisting Solution Feature
CIP-007-R2 The Responsible Entity shall Network-level controls,
establish and document a based on integration with
process to ensure that only those the operating system kernel,
ports and services required can act as a firewall and
for normal and emergency prevent communication over
operations are enabled. unauthorized ports or protocols.
CIP-007-R3.2 The Responsible Entity shall Application whitelisting solutions
document the implementation can act as a compensating
of security patches. In any control on unpatched systems No matter how well a
case where the patch is not because they prevent illicit
installed, the Responsible Entity activities such as the execution security solution may
shall document compensating of unauthorized code and the
enforce controls, it will not
measure(s) applied to mitigate exploitation of network services.
risk exposure or an acceptance be completely effective
of risk.
CIP-007-R4 The Responsible Entity shall Application whitelisting can if it is difficult to manage
use anti-virus software and other prevent any malware, known
malicious software (“malware”) or unknown, from running on over a potentially large
prevention tools, where protected systems. Additionally,
environment.
technically feasible, to detect, this solution provides superior
prevent, deter, and mitigate performance compared to
the introduction, exposure, blacklisting solutions.
and propagation of malware
on all Cyber Assets within the
Electronic Security Perimeter(s).
CIP-007-R6 The Responsible Entity shall Solutions should support
ensure that all Cyber Assets management requirements,
within the Electronic Security which include the ability to
Perimeter, as technically monitor, log, alert, and report on
feasible, implement automated status and events.
tools or organizational process
controls to monitor system
events that are related to cyber
security.
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612-465-8880