Darktrace has announced the launch of the Industrial Immune System, a new product capable of detecting emerging cyber-threats within Industrial Control Systems (ICS). Applying Darktrace’s machine learning and mathematics to operational technology (OT) environments for the first time, the launch marks the beginning of a new era for the protection of Critical National Infrastructure, delivering real-time detection of today’s most advanced cyber-attackers and subtle insider threats.
Industrial Control Systems, including SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition), are relied on by power stations, factories and other parts of critical infrastructure to manage key processes, yet are increasingly being targeted by advanced hackers and exposed to vulnerabilities that originate in the corporate network. As IT and Operational Technology (OT) environments continue to converge, managers of ICS have been faced with the challenge of protecting these crucial systems and data, in spite of inherent security weaknesses and the continual risk of insider threat.
Darktrace’s Industrial Immune System represents a major innovation for Critical National Infrastructure providers, giving them a holistic, visual overview of their production environments and alerting them to potential threats, before they develop into full-blown cyber-attacks. Powered by Enterprise Immune System technology developed at the University of Cambridge, Darktrace has specially adapted its innovative mathematical models to ICS data, forming an adaptive ‘pattern of life’ for the machines, networks and users within these environments, which is used to spot previously unidentified anomalies, in real time.
The Industrial Immune System is available as part of Darktrace’s flagship Enterprise Immune System, and has already been rolled out at the European energy leader Drax. Following successfully implementing Darktrace’s self-learning appliance within its corporate IT network, Drax chose to extend threat visibility into their SCADA systems too, using the Industrial Immune System to continuously monitor behaviors and alert security operators to any suspicious or abnormal activity.
“Nothing is fool-proof in the modern-day challenge of cyber security, especially when it comes to protecting complex SCADA systems. Darktrace has transformed our ability to preempt threats, by shining a light into our production environments and helping us focus our investigations,” said Peter Emery, Group Operations Director at Drax. “With Darktrace, we now have visibility of both our corporate and production environments, enhancing our ability to anticipate potential issues early, wherever they originate.”
“We are very excited to extend our industry-leading Enterprise Immune System technology to the critical field of Industrial Control Systems,” commented Nicole Eagan, CEO of Darktrace. “By studying the behavior of the control system itself, not the industrial process that it manages, we can provide increased confidence that the control system in functioning as intended. The Industrial Immune System’s fundamental ability to detect previously-unidentified cyber threats within SCADA and other operational technology systems is a world-first, helping operators meaningfully improve the resilience of our nations’ critical infrastructure, and the safety of the people that work in these environments.”
