Secure Gateway Quarantine for OT Remote Access Cybersecurity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cybersecurity solutions for remote access of operational technology (OT) devices are inadequate, leaving them vulnerable to malicious data transmission and actions, especially in industrial control systems where third-party vendors introduce new external cybersecurity risks.
Innovation Solution
A secure intermediary system is introduced to process remote action data, determining its maliciousness and blocking or allowing data transfer based on logic policies and heuristics models, while generating audit logs and notifications for improved security and traceability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If remote access is enabled for OT devices to allow maintenance and data transfer, then ease of operation is improved, but cybersecurity vulnerability increases due to potential malicious data transmission
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a secure gateway as an intermediary system between the remote client and OT devices. This gateway intercepts, analyzes, and filters all data transmissions, allowing legitimate remote access while blocking malicious content. The gateway acts as a mediator that enables remote operation capabilities while simultaneously providing security protection through its analysis and filtering functions.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If data transmission is blocked to prevent malicious actions, then cybersecurity protection is improved, but productivity decreases due to restricted legitimate remote access
Solution Approach 1:
The secure gateway performs preliminary analysis of incoming and outgoing data transmissions before they reach OT devices. By pre-screening data packets using heuristics models and comparison databases, the system identifies and blocks malicious content in advance, while allowing legitimate maintenance data to pass through without interruption, thus maintaining productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the secure gateway continuously monitors transmission patterns, updates its heuristics models based on detected threats, and adjusts filtering rules dynamically. This feedback loop improves the accuracy of malicious data identification over time while reducing false positives that could block legitimate remote access operations.
3Ease of repair
If third-party vendor access is allowed for device maintenance, then ease of repair is improved, but cybersecurity risk increases due to external access vectors
Solution Approach 1:
The secure gateway serves as a controlled intermediary that enables third-party vendor access to OT devices for maintenance purposes while implementing security policies specific to external access. The gateway authenticates vendor credentials, enforces access control rules, and monitors all vendor-initiated transmissions, thus facilitating ease of repair while mitigating external cybersecurity risks.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for remote access of a device, for example an operational technology device or an information technology device, in a manner with improved cybersecurity. Some embodiments receive remote action data from a client device in response to an initiated remote access action of the remote action data from the client device to a remotely accessible device, quarantine the remote action data from the client device, generate malicious determination data indicating whether the remote action data is determined as malicious by processing the remote action data, and determine whether to block transfer of the remote action data to the remotely accessible device based at least in part on the malicious determination data.