In the modern naval fleet, many vessels now feature onboard industrial control systems (ICS) which monitor and facilitate the operation of various machine processes. These processes, generate operations data which is used for maintenance and alerts, for malfunctions or to identify other problems. In addition, once ships return to port, the data generated and collected from these vessels must be transferred to shore. In each of these instances, data must be securely transferred while protecting the source systems from the threat of cyberattack.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in conjunction with the FBI and NSA, have developed guidance which outlines a series of cybersecurity best practices in ICS deployments. While this guidance specifically addresses cybersecurity in critical infrastructure, many of the same principles can be applied to naval deployments to protect onboard and shipside equipment. This session will outline a concrete, five-step approach to securing ICS systems within a naval context, including relevant use cases and sample deployment architectures.