3 Security Problems Data Diodes Can Prevent And Safeguard

  • May 15, 2023

As digitalization continues unabated across industries, it becomes all the more important to keep cyberattacks at bay and ensure they do not impede its progress. One such area of concern regarding digitalization is protecting the classified or sensitive information that now flows abundantly in a given organization. 

Data diodes in Singapore help address this need to secure information by enabling a hardware-enforced and secure one-way data transfer that safeguards information transmission between segmented networks. By imposing a physical gap in the information exchange process that electronic tools cannot overcome, unlike in digital countermeasures such as MFA, biometrics, and advanced RBAC, data diodes rank among the most effective and robust cybersecurity solutions today. Below are some of the many security problems they help to prevent.

  • File transfers

Transmitting critical files or information from, say, a system to an administrative office network bears many security risks. One way to mitigate these risks is by pointing a data diode from the high-security network to a lower-security one, enabling a one-way data transfer between the two while protecting the former network. This approach guarantees that no malicious actors can use the data connection in the opposite direction, effectively barring them from ever gaining access to the sensitive network.

Conversely, data diodes can also be directed towards sensitive networks to gather information from another network. The usual risk here stems from how information is collected through this channel while preventing data leakage from your sensitive network. Thankfully, data diodes help ensure this much-needed network confidentiality and prevent leaks from occurring.

  • Traceability and logging in security-sensitive operations

Centralized log collection in secure systems increases the risk of attacks, which can be effectively reduced by using a solution that safeguards both log information and all connected systems involved. Modern IT systems now create logs that facilitate traceability and troubleshooting, and collecting as many of them from the multiple different connected systems into the central system is essential to analyze and get the most out of them.

Thus, organizations with zoned or security-sensitive systems that want to introduce centralized log collection face a built-in goal conflict: having a common system for all zones/subsystems means reaping logging benefits but increases the risk of all kinds of cyberattacks. Data diodes can eliminate this risk in a centralized log collection system by placing them in every zone or network that delivers log information, turning their data flow strictly unidirectional.

A common log system can thus be implemented no matter how many zones deliver data to it. Should any of the zones house sensitive information, the central log system must have the same protections at the corresponding level of confidentiality, or the zone itself must filter out the log information it sends. It is important to note that the latter option may decrease the log’s value due to the free text data often getting filtered out as well, making it more difficult to interpret the log information.

  • System updates

Updates are paramount to ensure system stability and security because of the inherent bugs found in highly complex software like operating systems and programs within ICS/SCADA systems. However, implementing these updates can pose a security risk if not done correctly. And since the availability and integrity of these systems need to be maintained at all times, updates may often not be sufficiently evaluated in the environments they are used in or in combination with the apps they run. 

Data diodes can aid in pushing these updates securely with their one-way communication that imports the information into the system without allowing traffic into the opposite direction, eliminating the possibility of information leakage ever occurring.

Conclusion

Data diodes, with their hardware-based security features, help achieve segmentation and absolute confidentiality between networks, enabling organizations to solve a myriad of security problems in their IT/OT environments and significantly improve their cybersecurity posture. 

Allied Solutions provides total industrial automation solutions that help make your organization’s digitization efforts seamless and successful. We supply a wide range of security products, from manufacturing execution systems to IT and OT cybersecurity solutions designed to advance your operational productivity. To learn more about our ST Engineering data diode solutions or other products, such as TrakSYS software, GE Proficy Historian, OPSWAT, and more, don’t hesitate to contact us today.

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