Honeywell launched a new cyber security solution facilities that protect against USB-borne threats, without the need for complex procedures that impact operations or industrial personnel.
Safdar Akhtar, business development director, Industrial Cyber Security for EMEA and Asia at Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS), said: The launch of SMX is an important milestone in combatting cyber threats in the region and globally. The Honeywell 2017 Middle East Industrial Cyber Security Summit provides a perfect platform for this important launch, and will help inform industry stakeholders on the latest trends and technologies in industrial cyber security.
With a long-standing presence in the region spanning six decades, we are committed to protecting the safety and reliability of critical infrastructure and deploying advanced industrial cyber security solutions across the region.
Eric Knapp, cyber security chief engineer, HPS, said: Industrial operators often have hundreds or thousands of employees and dozens of contractors on site every day. Many, if not most, of those rely on USB-removable media to get their jobs done. Plants need solutions that let people work efficiently, but also dont compromise cyber security and, with it, industrial safety.
Honeywells SMX was developed by the companys cyber security experts based on field experience across global industrial sites and feedback from Honeywell User Group customers. The solutions provides hassle-free, multi-layered protection for managing USB security, letting users simply plug in and check devices for approved use in the facility. Contractors check-in their USB drive by plugging it into an SMX Intelligence Gateway. The ruggedised industrial device analyses files using a variety of techniques included with Honeywells Advanced Threat Intelligence Exchange (ATIX), a secure, hybrid-cloud threat analysis service.
SMX Client Software installed on plant Windows devices provides another layer of protection, controlling which USB devices are allowed to connect, preventing unverified USB removable media drives from being mounted, and stopping unverified files from being accessed. SMX also logs USB device connectivity and file access, providing a valuable audit capability.
Knapp said: For most plants, the proliferation of removable media and USB devices is unavoidable, but the security risks they bring dont have to be. We know our customers have limited resources to maintain another system, so Honeywell manages SMX for them. SMX never connects to our customers process control networks. From a system administration perspective, its like its not even there.