Schneider Electric and Claroty collaborate to enhance industrial cybersecurity

Industrial cybersecurity is a prerogative that enterprises and governments that shouldn’t be taken lightly. In recent times, the number of cyberattacks targeting the manufacturing industry as well as critical infrastructures demonstrate the potential havoc and disruption that can be brought about by cybercriminals.

While cyberattacks on critical infrastructures are normally brought about by state-sponsored hackers, the manufacturing industry can be targeted by almost any cybercriminal looking to make a profit or simply feeling mischievous.

Some examples of cyberattacks involving critical infrastructures and the manufacturing industry include the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline as well as the cyberattacks on both Ukraine and Russian critical infrastructures following the conflict in that region.

In the US, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released a joint cybersecurity advisory describing the ways China’s state sponsored cyber actors continue to exploit publicly known vulnerabilities in order to establish a broad network of compromised infrastructure. These actors use the network to exploit a wide variety of targets worldwide, including public and private sector organizations.

The advisory details the targeting and compromise of major telecommunications companies and network service providers and the top vulnerabilities—primarily Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs)—associated with network devices routinely exploited by the cyber actors since 2020.

In Southeast Asia, reports have also shown nation-state sponsored cybercriminals spying on nations via the telco network, raising concerns among some countries in this region. Cyberattacks in Southeast Asia also continues to be one of highest in the world, with cybercriminals targetting both industries and employees.

As such, to improve industrial cybersecurity, Schneider Electric, has announced its collaboration with Claroty, to integrate The Claroty Platform into their offering, enabling them to better address new cybersecurity concerns, including protection, safety and insurance for industrial customers.

Fueled by the competitive advantages of digital transformation, more and more industrial enterprises are connecting previously isolated operational technology (OT) to corporate IT networks, while also introducing new IoT and industrial IoT assets into these converged OT/IT environments. As a result, industrial systems have become more exposed to new kinds of cyber threats with serious implications for physical safety and the environment.

The nature and scale of these threats mean they cannot be faced alone and must be a priority in every aspect of the industrial process. The collaboration between Schneider Electric and Claroty provides the industry with an enhanced level of cybersecurity.

“We see cybersecurity as a key differentiator. Through our collaboration with Claroty, we are reinforcing its importance to the industrial process and taking active steps to mitigate new challenges. We are entering a new era of openness in the industrial world and the same is true for cybersecurity,” commented Jay Abdallah, VP Cybersecurity Services, Schneider Electric.

The Claroty Platform reveals and protects all OT, IoT, and IIoT assets while detecting and enabling response to the earliest indicators of potential threats in industrial cybersecurity. With highly flexible and rapid deployment options, a vast integration ecosystem, and robust API, the platform seamlessly integrates with customers’ existing technology stacks and is universally compatible with their existing workflows regardless of scale, architecture, or programmatic maturity. The platform is also the industry’s only solution with fully integrated secure remote access and remote incident management capabilities spanning the entire incident lifecycle.

For Keith Carter, VP Worldwide Channels and Allliances at Claroty, as industrial machinery and processes become increasingly connected to corporate IT networks and the internet in order to improve operational efficiency and reduce costs, they also become more exposed to cyber threats that could severely disrupt critical operations .

“Digital transformation must go hand in hand with cybersecurity, and this integration between Schneider Electric and Claroty delivers a market-leading combination that is tailor-made for industrial environments,” said Carter.

When it comes to industrial cybersecurity, Schneider Electric has a longstanding commitment to IT/OT cybersecurity across industries. This is demonstrated in a global commitment to the IEC 62443 standard and the company’s ‘Secure by Design’ product development practices, including internal testing in CREST certified labs. The addition of Claroty technology and solutions reinforces that commitment, while differentiating the benefits of Schneider Electric offers to end user customers.

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