What is Operational Cybersecurity?
In today’s increasingly digital world, cybersecurity is more critical than ever. As organizations embrace digital transformation and automation, they face heightened risks from sophisticated cyber threats that can compromise sensitive information, disrupt operations, and damage reputations. In this blog, we will discuss operational cybersecurity, which is embedding security measures into an organization’s daily processes and workflows to protect its assets and information effectively. It involves implementing security tools and policies and integrating these practices into everyday business activities, ensuring that security is a seamless and continuous aspect of day-to-day operations. In essence, operational cybersecurity transforms security from a standalone concern into an integral part of how an organization functions and responds to threats.
Foundation of Operational Cybersecurity
The foundations of operational cybersecurity are essential for creating a resilient defense against evolving cyber threats. A critical starting point is understanding the threat landscape, which involves recognizing and analyzing cyber threats that could impact an organization. One of the most common threats to industrial environments is malware. Malware can corrupt a system or steal data. Phishing attacks often introduce it, which tricks individuals into disclosing confidential information. Or even worse, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, which flood systems with excessive traffic to cause outages or slowdowns.
Vulnerability assessment and management play a crucial role in operational cybersecurity. This proactive process involves identifying, evaluating, and addressing security weaknesses in systems before attackers can exploit them. Regular vulnerability assessments help organizations avoid potential threats by proactively identifying and patching vulnerabilities, enhancing operational cybersecurity’s effectiveness.
Regulatory and compliance considerations significantly impact operational cybersecurity. Organizations must adhere to various laws and regulations that dictate security practices, such as API (American Petroleum Institute) security standards, the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) cybersecurity frameworks, and NERC-CIP (North American Electric Reliability Corporation Critical Infrastructure Protection) standards. These regulations provide guidelines for maintaining security and ensure that operational cybersecurity strategies meet legal and industry standards, helping organizations build robust cybersecurity frameworks that are both effective and compliant. If you’re interested in learning more about industrial cybersecurity regulations and standards, then you should read the Enaxy blog series on cybersecurity standards.
Building a Robust Cybersecurity Framework
A robust cybersecurity framework is fundamental for safeguarding an organization’s digital assets and ensuring resilience against cyber threats.
Select a Framework
First, choose a suitable framework that aligns with the organization’s needs and regulatory requirements. Here are a couple of frameworks to consider:
- NIST Cybersecurity Framework – offers guidelines on identifying, protecting, detecting, responding to, and recovering from cyber incidents, making it adaptable to various organizational contexts.
- IEC 62443 – focuses on establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continuously improving security controls in industrial systems and provides a comprehensive approach to managing risk.
Make sure the Framework Aligns
Once a framework is selected, incorporating it into your organization is essential. You should use the framework to align with the company’s policies and processes. It must be part of daily operations to succeed.
Establish and Implement Policy and Procedure
The next step is establishing and implementing robust cybersecurity policies and procedures. When developing these policies and procedures, they should include the following:
- Defined security practices, responsibilities, and procedures across the organization.
- Training for all employees enables them to understand their role in maintaining cybersecurity and following best practices.
- Access controls, data protection measures, and established guidelines.
Create Incident Response Processes
Incident response planning is a vital aspect of this process. A structured incident response plan outlines how the organization will identify, address, and recover from security incidents. This involves defining roles and responsibilities, establishing communication protocols, and detailing containment, eradication, and recovery procedures.
Continuous Improvement
Regularly updating and testing the incident response plan through simulations and drills ensures your organization can respond swiftly and effectively to real-world cyber incidents, minimizing potential damage and downtime. The more Operations and Security teams collaborate, the better they can understand each other’s skill sets. This enhances their ability to respond to future incidents, improves their efforts to address security risks, and maintains a safe work environment. These elements create a strong foundation for a cybersecurity framework that supports the organization’s security posture and operational resilience.
Implementing Security Controls
Making network security operational involves turning theoretical security measures into practical daily activities that protect an organization’s digital infrastructure. To achieve this, organizations must incorporate security controls into their network architecture. They must also consistently monitor for threats and ensure that policies and practices are actively enforced.
Network Security
Network security is foundational to safeguarding an organization’s digital environment. Examples of controls to utilize are:
- Firewalls – They act as gatekeepers by filtering incoming and outgoing traffic based on established security rules to block unauthorized access and potential threats.
- Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) – They are a complement to firewalls as they monitor network traffic for suspicious activities and potential threats, alerting personnel to possible issues.
- Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) – They take this a step further by actively blocking identified threats in real-time, thus preventing them from causing harm.
Questions to ask:
But how can we operationalize network security?
- Think about it: You need many dedicated resources to watch all your security tools operating within the OT/ICS networks.
Who do we try to get to manage this?
- Someone in the Security team occasionally monitors these security tools to comprehend the significance of the alerts and how to address them. However, this may not always be straightforward, as alerts can have entirely different meanings in operation and necessitate a specific response.
But how does this help Operations?
- It is advisable to obtain information from those who use and maintain these networks. There are many security teams that have invested a lot of money in security tools (both hardware and software) but struggle to demonstrate their value. Your organization should consider providing logs from the firewalls, IDS, and IPSs to the operations team so that both security teams and operations can make informed decisions and take action.
Secure configuration is also vital for maintaining the integrity and security of network devices and systems. The main components of secure configuration are:
- Setting up hardware and software with security in mind by disabling unnecessary services, applying security patches promptly, and adhering to best practices for configuration settings.
- Significantly reducing the risk of exploitation from vulnerabilities or misconfigurations by minimizing the attack surface through secure configurations.
- Creating a robust change management process that will facilitate everyone’s tasks, as effective implementation requires the expertise of your OT/ICS professionals. All teams can assist with configuration and testing by keeping all stakeholders informed about the asset configurations. These teams will help you understand the criticality and requirements necessary to address security risks.
Secure Endpoints
Securing endpoints—servers, PCs, and HMIs—is essential for protecting against threats targeting industrial devices. Here are ways to ensure endpoints are secure:
- Anti-malware solutions – These solutions detect, prevent, and remove malicious software that could compromise endpoint security.
- Encryption – It ensures that sensitive data stored on or transmitted by endpoints is safeguarded from unauthorized access.
- Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) tools – They provide advanced capabilities for monitoring and analyzing endpoint activity, enabling organizations to detect, investigate, and respond to threats more effectively. EDR solutions often include behavioral analysis and threat intelligence, which enhance organizations’ ability to identify and counter sophisticated attacks. Understanding their application in OT/ICS settings is essential.
Automation engineers and technicians have the expertise to assist you in achieving and securing your OT systems. They can help you understand the intended functions of each endpoint and the processes currently in operation. This knowledge will enable you to create a practical program to ensure endpoint security.
Conclusion
So far, we have examined the perspective of OT/ICS teams assisting security, but it works both ways. Cybersecurity teams also serve as a valuable resource for Operations. Your security teams are continuously learning about and addressing cyber risks. This knowledge needs to be shared. It may sound a bit cliché, but “employees are the first and best line of defense.” Humans remain the most vulnerable aspect of every organization’s security program, which is where resources can be effectively invested. Providing everyone with awareness and training can significantly strengthen your defense against cyber threats. Training should extend beyond phishing and malware; it is essential to educate your teams about your organization’s risks and how OT/ICS is affected. Assist your Operations teams in understanding how malware can disrupt processes. Illustrate how external connections can be compromised, leading to unauthorized access to unsecured systems. Inform the engineering group about the consequences of their administrative login credentials being compromised on the SCADA network. It is extremely important that this kind of knowledge be shared with your organization.
Making cybersecurity operational within an organization requires more than just policies and processes; it means integrating security practices into every facet of its operations. By establishing a robust framework, implementing foundational security controls, and cultivating a security-aware culture, you can develop a resilient cybersecurity posture that safeguards your organization’s digital assets. In the constantly changing landscape of cyber threats, remaining proactive and vigilant is your strongest defense.
At Enaxy, we work closely with security, IT, and operations teams to bridge strategy and execution. From designing cybersecurity frameworks tailored to your industry, to deploying scalable security controls, running hands-on tabletop exercises, and embedding best practices into workflows. We help transform cybersecurity from a checklist into a continuous, measurable discipline.
Looking to make cybersecurity a living part of your operations? Let’s partner, reach out to info@enaxy.com and we’ll help you get there.