Enhanced Cooperation for Cybersecurity

forthcoming

In the automation and manufacturing industries it is a requirement that automation applications must be renewed in preventing cybersecurity risks. Thread affected software must often be updated and be re-distributed safely across unknown networks into the OT-level infrastructures at the location of the communicating devices. To promote cybersecurity incident mitigation, it is important to strengthen robustness of software distribution and of data exchange across network infrastructures and cloud computing environments. The activities in the project focus on creating a system platform comprising an incident management solution which recognizes the needs for fast cybersecurity incidents detection and notification to instances which are securely chained in a system “circle” and are collaborating where possible in automated workflow processes. The processes finally help to eradicate the vulnerabilities and to deploy renewed software to the locations of the former incident affected devices. Part of the Cybersec System circle is a private Security Operation Center (SOC) as a centred instance from where vulnerability data are collected, processed and proliferated to other SOC across borders or industries supporting enhanced cooperation. The automation of threat detection using small AI models at the OT edge monitoring gateways provides better threat intelligence at the endpoints for the SOC communicating and controlling the endpoints for better classification of vulnerabilities. To ensure high level of trustworthiness Digital Elements shall be based on Secure Elements (SE) at least on the OT edge where the transition of trust boundaries is often critical for performing online software updates for vulnerability mitigation. Awareness raising of the role Digital Elements is an important part of the tasks to guide manufacturers for improvement of cybersecurity of the product designs ensuring the Digital Elements serve as point of deployment for SW controlled from the Cloud.