A new article in “The Industrial Ethernet Book” profiles the Cybersecurity for Energy Delivery Systems (CEDS) Program’s Chess Master project. The article explains the advantages that operational technology software-defined networking (OT SDN) brings to Ethernet-based industrial control systems (ICSs): dramatically improved packet delivery performance under normal and fault event conditions, greater cybersecurity without added complexity, centralized situational awareness, and disruptionless change control that enables safe scalability. The article, entitled “SDN for purpose-engineered, active defense cyber security” is available HERE.

To sustain critical energy delivery functions during a cyber intrusion, control system operators need a method that ensures only approved and expected cyber-activity takes place, called “whitelisting”, and that unexpected cyber-activity is automatically denied by default. Because layers of cyberdefense technologies reduce risk, in addition to proactive whitelisting of communications and processes, the control system must automatically adapt to survive a cyberintrusion, for instance, by automatic identification and containment of the affected network areas, and re-routing of critical information and control flows around the isolated area of the network. Energy delivery system operational networks that automatically adapt to survive a cyberincident must provide the operator a global view of all the control system operational network communication flows and the ability to rapidly set-up and implement operational network policies. To learn more about Chess Master, read the fact sheet HERE.

For more information about the Cybersecurity for Energy Delivery Systems (CEDS) Program, visit the cybersecurity section of the OE website.