Do data diodes fit in your security strategy?
In today’s industrial sector, there is no lack of security technologies. To help navigate the options, we’re taking a deeper look at the reasons someone may want to consider using data diodes. If you decide to take the next steps, you might want to look at Waterfall, Owl Cyber Defense, OPSWAT, and Garland Technology.
Data diodes are a type of security technology that can be used to secure OT networks by enforcing strict one-way data flow. A data diode physically enforces this one-way flow by allowing data to flow in one direction only and blocking data from flowing in the opposite direction. This prevents any unauthorized data from flowing into the OT network and keeps it isolated from the external network. Data diodes are commonly used to protect critical infrastructure networks, such as those used in power plants, water treatment facilities, and other industrial control systems.
Deployment Effort | Risk Reduction | Deployment Cost | Business Value | Best For |
Medium | High | $$ | High | Medium/Large Enterprises with skilled OT staff |
Benefits
- “Airgap”: By creating an airgap between the OT network and other networks, data diodes can help to prevent cyber-attacks from spreading to the OT network and potentially disrupting operations.
- Monitoring: Network traffic can be monitored between the OT network and the external network, allowing operators to identify and mitigate any malicious activity or potential security threats.
- Secure Data Transfer: Data diodes can also be used to transfer data securely between the networks, such as sending status updates and alarms from the OT network to the external network.
Challenges
- Installation: Network reconfiguration will be necessary, which will require planning and effort to implement.
- Allowed Protocols: Depending on the vendor chosen, certain communication protocols can be challenging to support and custom programming might be necessary.
Data diodes provide a hardware-based solution to enforce one-way communication, thus ensuring that no data coming from the external network can enter the OT network. This provides a strong barrier between the two networks and makes it difficult for an attacker to move laterally within the network.
Want to learn more? Check out our OT Defense in Depth Cyber Security Buyer’s Guide.
Notable Vendors:
