Quick-Check

With the digital transformation of production, not only new opportunities arise - there are also new risks. With the right methods and tools from Fraunhofer, companies can overcome these challenges cost-effectively.

In networked production plants, automation components are increasingly communicating with value-added services, e.g. for simplified commissioning, for optimization or for condition monitoring. In the networked world, the protection of production plants therefore no longer ends on the factory floor. Attackers can also penetrate and manipulate systems from outside via network connections. Malware can bring wide areas to a standstill and cause immense physical damage.

Often, there is no situational picture of the company's own production. A new type of quick check from Fraunhofer IOSB-INA provides a remedy. The entire Quick-Check includes a survey of the current state, a threat and vulnerability analysis, and the creation of prioritized recommendations for action.

The Quick-Check automatically creates an up-to-date situation picture. The situation picture includes all existing IT and automation components, communication links, IT services and a map of the network topology.

The situation picture is then expanded to include a threat analysis, a vulnerability analysis and recommendations for action. Threat analysis is a process by which structural threats can be identified and assessed for criticality. Threats are classified according to the MITRE ATT&CK classification matrix. The threats can be reduced through mitigation measures. Threat analysis is performed using the Microsoft Threat Modeling Tool.

The vulnerability analysis compares automation components and their software states with a central database. The result is a listing of vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities can be remediated with appropriate recommendations for action. The recommendations for action are based on the specifications of CERT@VDE and correspond to parts of the standards and procedures of IT-Grundschutz, ISO 27001, IEC62443 and the BSI ICS Security Compendium.

This gives a company a detailed overview of its production facilities and enables it to take targeted measures to secure its "crown jewels".