Programmable Logic Controller OTAC

⚠️Weak authentication in current PLC systems

Industrial Control Systems (ICSs) often face limitations in adopting advanced security measures due to their low computing power, leading to a reliance on password-based credentials for authentication. While these passwords are widely used, they come with a host of significant challenges that can jeopardize security.

• Manufacturer default passwords still in use
• Shared passwords, leading to weak user identification
  
• Difficulties in managing passwords for multiple PLC devices
  
• Managing user access during personnel changes
  
• Password vulnerabilities to brute force, phishing, and credential attacks
  
  

These weaknesses were evident in the Stuxnet attack, which targeted poorly configured passwords and remains a risk.

⚠️Regulatory Compliance Challenges in OT Security

As the regulatory landscape for Operational Technology (OT) continues to evolve, companies are increasingly required to comply with frameworks such as the NIS2 directive, the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), and IEC 62443 standards. These regulations impose stricter cybersecurity requirements for critical infrastructure sectors, including energy, water, and transportation, to protect against cyberattacks. Non-compliance can lead to significant repercussions such as financial penalties, reputational damage, or even service disruptions.

Many organizations face challenges in adapting their legacy OT systems, which were not originally designed with such stringent security controls in mind. This is particularly true for Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), which are often low-power devices lacking the capability to support modern, resource-intensive security solutions.

• Meeting compliance standards for regulations like NIS2, CRA, and IEC 62443 requires more advanced security solutions than legacy OT systems can provide.
• Static password-based authentication often falls short of compliance requirements, as it is vulnerable to cyberattacks like password cracking, phishing, and brute force attacks.
• Legacy OT systems struggle to accommodate modern security solutions without extensive and costly upgrades.
• Failure to comply with these standards can lead to severe penalties, operational downtime, and even regulatory sanctions.

🔎Achieving Compliance in OT Cybersecurity Frameworks

swIDch’s PLC OTAC (One-Time Authentication Code) solution ensures organizations meet regulatory standards like NIS2, CRA, and IEC 62443 through enhanced authentication mechanisms tailored for OT environments.

• NIS2 Compliance: Provides secure, passwordless access to OT systems, addressing vulnerabilities associated with static credentials and supporting the minimum security measures outlined by NIS2.
• CRA Compliance: Replaces traditional password-based systems with dynamic authentication codes, reducing risks from unauthorized access and simplifying the authentication process.
• IEC 62443 Compliance: Aligns with Identification and Authentication Control (FR1) by ensuring that only authorized users access PLCs through non-reusable, dynamic codes.

Learn More>

🔎Neutralising Password Vulnerabilities with Dynamic Authentication Codes

swIDch’s PLC OTAC provides a secure solution for PLC devices, using dynamic one-time authentication codes (OTAC) to tackle challenges like default passwords, user changes, and hacking vulnerabilities, ensuring only authorized access and protection against packet sniffing.

• OTAC ensures only known and authorised users/devices can access PLC using dynamic, non-reusable, constantly changing code guaranteed with 0% duplicates (defeats packet sniffing attacks)

1. Password sharing between engineers
2. Access is granted to users who are indistinguishable (un-identified)
3. If a password is stolen (from any user) it can be later used to gain access without any further challenge

1. No password sharing – users enter dynamic codes (OTAC) which are generated differently each time
2. Access is only granted to authorised users – who are also fully identifiable
3. If the OTAC is stolen and later used it will be denied access by the OTAC verification module
4. All of this is possible without any need to modify the existing password interface (8-digit example above)

🔎Seamless Expandability to Secure All OT Devices

swIDch’s PLC OTAC solution addresses these pain points by delivering a scalable, dynamic authentication technology that goes beyond securing just PLCs. With its advanced one-time authentication codes (OTAC), swIDch can protect Remote Terminal Units (RTUs), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs), and other OT devices, ensuring that only authorized access is granted. This unified approach to device security provides real-time protection without requiring extensive infrastructure changes or complex configurations, effectively safeguarding the entire OT ecosystem from unauthorized access and cyber threats.