WHITE PAPER

Industrial Cybersecurity
for Small- and Medium-Sized
Businesses
A Practical Guide

International Society of Automation

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 Industrial Cybersecurity for Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses
A Practical Guide

Contents

Executive Summary................................................................................................................................................. 5
Why Cybersecurity Management is Important...................................................................................................... 6
Protecting businesses from the impact of a cybersecurity incident............................................................................... 6
Risk Assessment.......................................................................................................................................................... 7
Common threats.................................................................................................................................................... 7
Common vulnerabilities and key mitigations........................................................................................................... 8
Potential consequences of inadequate cybersecurity management........................................................................ 11
Essential cybersecurity activities................................................................................................................................. 13
Identify..................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Create an inventory of all IT and OT assets............................................................................................................ 14
Assess the risk of a cyber incident......................................................................................................................... 14
Define a cybersecurity management policy........................................................................................................... 14
Protect...................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Secure network and equipment............................................................................................................................ 15
Protect sensitive information................................................................................................................................. 15
Manage access to systems and equipment............................................................................................................ 16
Detect....................................................................................................................................................................... 16
Define methods for monitoring............................................................................................................................ 16
Define responsibilities for monitoring.................................................................................................................... 16
Identify improvements.......................................................................................................................................... 16
Respond................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Maintain incident response plan........................................................................................................................... 17
Practice response processes.................................................................................................................................. 17
Identify improvements.......................................................................................................................................... 17
Recover..................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Maintain backups of all systems and equipment................................................................................................... 17
Practice recovery processes................................................................................................................................... 17
Identify improvements.......................................................................................................................................... 17
Awareness and training............................................................................................................................................ 18
Assessment and continuous improvement................................................................................................................. 18
Self assessment.................................................................................................................................................... 18
Third-party assessment......................................................................................................................................... 18
Continuous improvement..................................................................................................................................... 18
References and further reading................................................................................................................................. 19
 Industrial Cybersecurity for Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses
A Practical Guide

Executive Summary
Effective cybersecurity management is essential for all SMBs need to understand their cybersecurity risk and to
organizations, regardless of size. There are many standards take action to reduce this risk, just as they do with other
and guidance documents available to help organizations business risks. The absence of previous incidents, or the
determine a way forward. belief that the organization is not a likely target, is not
sufficient justification for ignoring this issue.
This document is intended to provide a starting point for
small- and medium-businesses (SMBs), particularly those SMBs can be at risk from a wide variety of threats, including
that manage industrial processes and employ some level amateur and professional hackers, environmental activists,
of automation. Specific examples include SMBs in the disgruntled employees or contractors and even nation
chemical and water and wastewater treatment sectors. states or terrorists. In addition, many cybersecurity incidents
are a result of accidents or unintentional actions. A com-
While it is generally accepted that Operational Technol- pany does not have to be a specific target to be affected.
ogy (OT) system security requires different or additional
measures than general-purpose Information Technology The consequence to an SMB can vary tremendously
(IT) system security, it is also true that smaller companies based on the nature of operations and the vulnerabilities
might have difficulty implementing much of the available of each. It is essential that the underlying vulnerabilities
guidance. are recognized and that these vulnerabilities be mitigat-
ed to minimize the likelihood of potentially dire events.
Standards and practices are often based on the assumption
that engineering and operations resources are available This document provides guidance based on well-established
to define, implement, and monitor the technology, busi- frameworks and standards. Further reference should be
ness processes, and associated controls. Unfortunately, this made to these frameworks and standards, focusing on
is often not the case. Smaller operations are typically not the recommendations in this document.
staffed to include such roles. It is more common to have
broadly defined staff roles, with support and operation of Cybersecurity management is not a one-time activity.
IT systems as only part of an individuals responsibilities. Like quality and safety management, cybersecurity
Smaller companies may not even be fully aware of the risks management is an ongoing activity where continuous
they face or that they can contract for cybersecurity-related improvement must be made in order to manage
services. This guide is intended to identify the essential the risks.
controls that need to be established.

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 Industrial Cybersecurity for Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses
A Practical Guide

Why Cybersecurity Management is Important

Protecting businesses from the impact of a cybersecurity incident
Very few, if any, businesses today operate without some dependence on systems and equipment that are vulnerable
to a cybersecurity incident. The impact to the business of such an incident will vary. However, this impact needs to be
understood and managed accordingly if businesses are to be able to operate as expected.

There are two broad categories of systems and equipment: Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology
(OT), each with their own characteristics, as shown in the table below.

Information Technology (IT) Operational Technology (OT)

Definition Used in a business or office environment to Used to monitor and control processes in industrial
support day-to-day activities, such as account- environments, such as factory floors, refineries, oil
ing, ordering, human resources, and data and gas platforms, and water treatment operations.
analysis.
Examples of systems or User workstations or laptops Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs)
equipment
File-, email-, or web-servers Distributed Control Systems (DCSs)
Databases Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition
(SCADA) systems
Network devices (routers, firewalls,
switches) Historian databases
Protocol and media converters
Cybersecurity Data confidentiality is the primary concern, System availability is the primary concern, followed
concerns followed by integrity of the data and system by integrity of the data, and finally, data confidentiality.
availability. In OT, data integrity and confidentiality are particu-
larly important for device logic or configuration files
used in control applications.

Management of Change-control processes are largely Technological changes are part of the overall
Change self-contained within the IT function. Management of Change process. It can be difficult
to take equipment out of service to update.

Other factors It is becoming more common for employees Equipment and communications protocols tend to
to use their own devices, especially mobile be proprietary, and it can be difficult to implement
technology, to access business systems typical cybersecurity controls
New technologies are being adopted with Underlying technology can be antiquated and,
insufficient concern for security therefore, more vulnerable to basic cybersecurity
incidents
The equipment environment is almost always
heterogeneous, with devices of various ages and
sources

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 Industrial Cybersecurity for Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses
A Practical Guide

Risk Assessment
Cybersecurity-related risks are evaluated using a process that: systematically identifies potential vulnerabilities to valu-
able system resources and threats to those resources; quantifies loss exposures and consequences based on probability
of occurrence; and (optionally) recommends how to allocate resources to countermeasures to minimize total exposure.

In simple terms, risk can be defined as a function of threat, vulnerability, and consequence. Each of these elements
must be assessed in order to gain a full understanding of the situation.

Common threats
When considering cybersecurity threats, many consider only deliberate, targeted attacks from professional hackers.
As a result, some dismiss the risk to their facilities.

The table below shows that SMBs are subject to numerous types of threats, both deliberate and otherwise. Cyber-
security incidents can arise as a result of accidents or unintentional actions by authorized individuals (employees,
vendors, or contractors). Many threats are often non-targeted and SMBs can be impacted as collateral damage.

In all of the examples below, SMBs could be impacted indirectly, simply because they have equipment similar to the
primary target.

Table 1 Threat Examples

Threat Description Example

Amateur hackers With access to many online tools and The online community HackForums.net is a popular
resources, anyone can find systems con- forum for amateur hackers, and is believed to be
nected to the Internet and interfere with behind the PlayStation network attack on Christmas
their operation, often for the challenge Day 2014, as well as the attack on the Internet Name
or prestige. Servers in the Eastern USA in October 2016.

Professional hackers Hackers with more skills and resources In 2016, the Lansing Board of Water & Light was
target organizations with ransom ware forced to pay a $25,000 ransom to unlock its internal
and other disruptive techniques and tools communications systems, which were hit as part of a
for profit. larger attack. The utility estimated the total cost of
responding to the attack and strengthening its
defenses against future attacks was $2.4M.

Environmental activists Groups can work with hackers to disrupt In 2011, the group Anonymous posted confidential
the operations of organizations whose information on 2,500 Monsanto employees and
business practices they oppose or are associates and shut down the companys international
contrary to their beliefs. websites for nearly three days.
Disgruntled employees or Using inside knowledge or privileged In 2012, a male programmerpassed over for promo-
contractors access, to gain revenge by disrupting tions at a Long Island power supply manufacturer
operations or to steal confidential infor- created an unauthorized program to harvest employees
mation to be sold to competitors logins and passwords.
After leaving the company, the person used his creden-
tials to get into the network and disrupt business and
inflict damage on the companys operations.

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 Industrial Cybersecurity for Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses
A Practical Guide

Threat Description Example

Nation states or terrorists Organizations with very large resources In 2010, a virus known as Stuxnet compromised
target critical infrastructure organizations Irans nuclear enrichment facility. The virus targeted
to create instability or to influence their the control system for the centrifuges in the facility
will. and, while providing pre-recorded data to operators,
would cause the centrifuges to operate outside of
their normal envelope. Analysts suggest the enrich-
ment program was set back several years as a result
of the attack.
Accidents or unintentional The actions of employees or contractors In 1999, an explosion in a gasoline pipeline in
actions can inadvertently result in a cybersecurity Bellingham, WA, USA, killed three people, injured
incident. eight, and caused $45M in property damage. The
company was fined $112M. One of the two primary
causes of the incident was found to be developers
making changes to a live control system.

Common vulnerabilities and key mitigations

A vulnerability is a deficiency that can be exploited by a threat to create an incident. The deficiency can arise from
technical (such as a software error), procedural (a lack of policy or standard), or people (lack of training) issues.

A mitigation is an action or solution that is implemented to: reduce the likelihood of a vulnerability being exploited or
offset the adverse effects of an incident should that vulnerability be exploited.

There are many cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and each organization possesses different ones depending on the equip-
ment they use and the policies and procedures they have in place. As noted previously in this white paper, SMBs can
be impacted by a non-targeted attack, simply because they utilize equipment similar to that used by the primary target.
The table below provides a list of common vulnerabilities found in all organizations to some degree, along with key
mitigations that should be implemented to control these vulnerabilities.

These key mitigations are essential for all SMBs to provide a basic level of cybersecurity management. It is highly rec-
ommended for SMBs to consider additional mitigations. Further guidance is available from several sources, including:

International Society of Automation (ISA). The ISA/IEC 62443 standards (Security for Industrial Automation and
Control Systems) provide detailed guidance on how to create a cybersecurity management system for OT environ-
ments. These standards are also available internationally as IEC 62443

The US Chamber of Commerce [6], Department of Homeland Security (DHS) [7], US Small Business Administration
(SBA) [9], National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) [10], as well as many business and technology
websites [5], [8]

The Center for Internet Security (CIS). CIS produces the Critical Security Controls [2], which identify the top 20
mitigations that reduce the likelihood and/or consequence of a cybersecurity incident. These controls are referenced
in the Key Mitigations table below as CSCxx where xx is 1 to 20 (for example, CSC17)

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 Industrial Cybersecurity for Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses
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Table 2 Vulnerabilities and Mitigations

Vulnerability Description Key Mitigations

Inadequately Employees who have received little or no training in the Provide (internally or using external parties)
trained employees risks of cyber incidents are more likely to: a variety of training resources for employees,
including classroom-based, computer-based
Be victims of social engineering, such as phishing (the
training courses/assessments, informational
use of faked email messages to extract confidential in-
videos, posters, and email newsletters
formation or to gain unauthorized access to equipment)
(CSC17)
Use removable media without performing virus checks
Fail to observe the signs of a cyber incident
This is common in SMBs, where resources for training
are limited.
Inadequately Networks that are inadequately secured can: Use standards to define and implement ef-
secured network fective network security. In particular, avoid
Allow external users unauthorized access to systems
direct connection with external networks,
and equipment
control traffic in and out of the internal
Increase the chances of a cybersecurity incident network, and between different areas of the
extending throughout an organization internal network
(CSC1,2,6,12,13,15,20)
SMBs may not have the expertise to adequately secure
their network.

Inadequately Equipment that is inadequately secured can: Where possible, keep equipment in locked
secured cabinets or rooms to avoid unnecessary
Lack appropriate physical security, allowing ease of ac-
equipment contact
cess to unauthorized users and increase the likelihood
of accidental actions Where not possible, use locks (physical and
electronic) to secure access to physical inputs
Lack appropriate protection on physical inputs, such as
USB ports and DVD drives, making it easier for malware Remove unnecessary applications and disable
to be transferred unnecessary services on equipment
(CSC1,2,3,6,7,11,13,18)
Contain unnecessary applications or run unnecessary
services, increasing the possibilities of a cyber incident
Inadequate Equipment running without anti-virus protection is vulner- Ensure anti-virus is operational and main-
anti-virus able to malware attack. With some malware, the infection tained on all equipment, where possible
management may not be obvious and this can lead to a spread of the
Where not possible, ensure equipment is
malware throughout the organization.
adequately secured to remove opportunity
A failure to maintain anti-virus protection (with the latest for introduction of viruses
security patches or with the latest malware signatures)
Use standalone machine to perform virus
makes equipment much more vulnerable to newer mal-
checking on incoming machines and media
ware threats.
(CSC8)

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 Industrial Cybersecurity for Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses
A Practical Guide

Vulnerability Description Key Mitigations

Inadequate change There are two important considerations for change man- All changes must be reviewed before imple-
management agement: mentation. The review must assess the po-
tential impact on system operation (reliability,
Making changes to system software or hardware can
performance, etc.) as well as any changes to
introduce new vulnerabilities that, if not considered,
cybersecurity risks
could be exploited
A change procedure must be in place that
Inadequate change procedures can create cyberse-
ensures that all changes are implemented
curity incidents. For example, a failure to implement
with a step-by-step plan and a means to
a backup before updating software could result in
restore any equipment to its previous state,
system unavailability if the update fails
if required
(CSC4,20)
Inadequate Equipment running without the latest security patches Ensure equipment is kept up to date with
security patch is much more vulnerable to newer malware threats. The latest security patches from vendor(s)
management more security patches that are missed, the more vulner- (CSC3,11,18)
able the equipment becomes.
Inadequate backup Backups are essential to the restoration of failed hardware Determine what needs to be backed up and
management or equipment infected with malware. how often
In order to be effective, backups must occur frequently to Maintain backups to defined regime
avoid the loss of significant amounts of data. In addition,
Periodically test backups using a test
unless backups are periodically tested, they can prove to
environment
be useless when required.
(CSC10,13)
Inadequate There are two key issues: Enforce use of strong passwords
password
Weak passwords are easy to guess (e.g. password) or Enforce periodic change of passwords
management
use only letters or numbers. A weak password can be (CSC5,14,15,16)
determined using brute force techniques, within 1-2
minutes
Passwords that are never changed, or changed infre-
quently, are much more vulnerable to exploitation
Use of shared There are many problems with sharing accounts Avoid use of shared accounts, where possible
accounts between users:
If not possible, ensure shared accounts have
It is no longer possible to verify who took a certain limited privileges
action in a system
Enforce a policy to change account details
Not all users may have the same privileges, so some when someone leaves or moves to a new
users may have access to functions or data that they role in the organization
should not (CSC5,14,15,16)
When someone leaves, knowledge of the account
details are retained by the person who left
Use of default Many devices or systems have manufacturers default Remove or change default account details
accounts accounts. If these accounts are not changed, anyone (username and/or password), where possible
with knowledge of the default details can gain
If not possible (e.g. hard-coded by vendor),
unauthorized access much more easily. In some cases,
enforce strict physical access control on
default account information is freely published on
equipment
the Internet.
(CSC5,14,15,16)

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 Industrial Cybersecurity for Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses
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Vulnerability Description Key Mitigations

Inadequate Many organizations have no plans in place to deal with a Create an incident response plan that identi-
incident response cybersecurity incident. fies the possible incidents and the appro-
priate response to each, as well as the key
Organizations that have plans in place may not exercise
internal and external contacts
those plans sufficiently, to validate that they are effec-
tive. Exercise the incident response plan periodi-
cally to verify that it is effective
Without an effective incident response plan in place,
(CSC20)
organizations can be exposed to major consequences
should a cybersecurity incident occur.

Potential consequences of inadequate cybersecurity management

The potential consequences of a cyber incident will depend on the organization, but the following table outlines the
most common consequences for IT and OT equipment and systems.

Table 3 Potential Consequences

Consequence IT/OT Description Example

Theft of IT/OT Hackers use social engineering techniques to obtain con- In 2014, payment card data for 70 mil-
confidential fidential information, such as usernames and passwords lion customers was stolen from Target,
information that can be used to gain unauthorized access to systems. after hackers gained access using the
credentials of a supplier, stolen in a
Hackers with unauthorized access to systems can extract
separate phishing attack.
confidential information, such as customer names, credit
card numbers, trade secrets, drawings, or plans.
In OT environments, the theft of control logic, recipes,
production records, and other such information can yield
valuable intellectual property.
System IT Computer viruses can be downloaded onto IT worksta- In 2012, a virus called Shamoon in-
unavailability tions, laptops, and servers remotely (using unauthorized fected more than 30,000 office work-
access or through the use of social engineering), or using stations belonging to Saudi Aramco.
removable media, such as USB drives, CDs, and DVDs. Business operations were slowed and,
in some cases, paused as employees
Viruses can propagate across a network to infect other
were forced to resort to manual/off-
machines. Viruses may be used to:
line activities and the use of personal
Obtain confidential information (such as usernames emails for several weeks.
and passwords)
Cause excessive network traffic that disrupts normal
operation
Wipe an entire hard disk clean
Lock a disk until a ransom is paid

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 Industrial Cybersecurity for Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses
A Practical Guide

Consequence IT/OT Description Example

Operations or OT Since operations or production are heavily dependent on In 2013, a virus infected the operation-
production the OT systems that monitor and control them, a failure al network of the Cook County Depart-
shutdown of these systems can result in a shutdown of the plant or ment of Highway and Transportation
process. in Chicago, affecting 200 computers.
The department was shut down for
Typical cybersecurity causes are:
nine days until normal service could be
Viruses restored.
Unauthorized access
Lack of backup of system data, program, or
settings
Service outage OT In a specific instance of operations or production In 2015, hackers infiltrated the control
shutdown, the result can have serious ramifications for system of a Ukrainian power company
others. For example, the loss of water or wastewater and took control of the electricity distri-
services, the loss of communications, etc. bution network. Approximately 80,000
homes were left without electricity for
Typical cybersecurity causes are:
up to six hours.
Viruses
Unauthorized access
Lack of backup of system data, program, or
settings
Equipment OT Production or operational plants are connected to the In 2014, hackers gained access to a
damage monitoring and control systems that can be impacted by steel mill in Germany and disrupted the
a cybersecurity incident. Without adequate mechanical operation of the safety system, causing
or independent shutdown systems, physical damage is massive damage to the blast furnace.
possible.
Typical cybersecurity causes are:
Viruses
Unauthorized access
Environmental OT Many OT control systems monitor or control processes In 2000, a disgruntled former contrac-
damage that, in the event of failure or incorrect operation, can tor used stolen equipment to deliber-
cause harm to the environment. Examples include oil ately manipulate a wastewater control
and gas production and wastewater treatment. system, causing a release of 750,000
gallons of raw sewage into the envi-
Typical cybersecurity causes are:
ronment in Queensland, Australia.
Viruses
Unauthorized access
Injury or death OT Many OT control systems monitor or control processes In 2008, a 14-year old boy modified a
that, in the event of failure or incorrect operation, can TV remote to change the points on a
cause harm to personnel or members of the public. train network in Lodz, Poland. Twelve
Examples include oil and gas production, transportation, people were injured and four trains
and wastewater treatment. derailed.
Typical cybersecurity causes are:
Viruses
Unauthorized access

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 Industrial Cybersecurity for Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses
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Essential cybersecurity activities

Numerous standards and guidance documents are available to help SMBs implement proper cybersecurity management.

The US Cybersecurity Framework, produced by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) [1], is an
excellent starting point for SMBs. The Framework identifies five core functions that encapsulate cybersecurity manage-
ment. The Framework then further defines all the activities that may need to be undertaken for each function and
identifies relevant standards to help identify how to implement these activities.

The table below identifies the essential cybersecurity activities that should be undertaken by all SMBs. These are
described in more detail below the table.

Table 4 Essential Cybersecurity Activities

Framework
Activities
Functions
Identify Create an inventory of all IT Assess the risk of cyber Define a cybersecurity
and OT assets incident management policy
Protect Secure network and Protect sensitive Manage access to
equipment information systems and equipment
Detect Define methods for Define responsibilities for Identify improvements Awareness and
monitoring monitoring training
Respond Maintain an incident- Practice response processes Identify improvements
response plan
Recover Maintain backups of all Practice recovery processes Identify improvements
systems and equipment

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 Industrial Cybersecurity for Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses
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Identify
The identify function focuses on understanding the nature of the systems inventory owned by the SMB and what risks
are associated with this inventory.

Create an inventory of all IT and OT assets

This step is essential for all SMBs. Proper cybersecurity management is impossible without a definitive understanding
of the assets involved. Organizations that fail to identify equipment or systems leave themselves vulnerable to cyber
incidents due to a lack of protection or monitoring.

The inventory of assets should include, as a minimum:

Make and model of hardware

Version number of all operating system and application software

Additionally, some organizations identify equipment location, owner, and other useful information.

Assess the risk of a cyber incident

Once an SMB understands what it is protecting from a cyber incident, it must conduct a risk assessment to identify
what risks exist.

Risk assessments require the involvement of all key stakeholders (to ensure accuracy) and should identify the likely
threats and the vulnerabilities in the asset base. From this, the organization should identify the potential consequences,
e.g. loss of confidential information, loss of revenue, environmental impact, injury or death, and so on.

SMBs should rank their risks using a common methodology to allow the identification of risks in priority order.

Define a cybersecurity management policy

Every SMB should have a cybersecurity management policy to define:

Those responsible for cybersecurity management activities

The processes and procedures required for operational activities and to reduce cybersecurity risks

The expectations of employees (e.g. appropriate use of IT equipment, use of personal devices, etc.)

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 Industrial Cybersecurity for Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses
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Protect
The protect function is a core cybersecurity management activity that an organization must undertake on an
ongoing basis.

Secure network and equipment

Securing a network and equipment involves such actions as:

Physically locking or disabling all equipment inputs to prevent unauthorized use, including smart device charging

Using only dedicated devices that are kept secure, with anti-virus software scanning before and after use

Using a quarantine area to check incoming removable devices of unknown provenance and transfer files to
dedicated, known devices

Only allowing a transfer of files from removable devices under strict supervision and in compliance with anti-virus
checks

Applying recommended patches to operating system and application software in a timely manner

Testing patches before applying to live equipment

Keeping anti-virus software up to date

Performing an anti-virus scan regularly and frequently (e.g. monthly)

Maintaining a record of all updates applied to allow for identification of issues

Limiting external access to equipment and networks to only those authorized to access them

Protect sensitive information

Protecting sensitive information involves such actions as:

Keeping confidential information secure (e.g. in locked cabinet or safe) and disposing confidential information in
a secure manner (e.g. shredding)

Being aware of who is around you and taking care to avoid disclosing sensitive information

Being suspicious of emails if you do not recognize the sender

Making sure you dont click on links or open attachments unless you are certain the sender is trustworthy

Making sure you do not download or install anything after following a link in a suspicious email

Making sure you do not provide confidential information via email unless you are certain the recipient is
appropriate/authorized

Making sure a supervisor or trained expert is available for advice before individuals take any action

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Manage access to systems and equipment

Managing access to systems and equipment involves such actions as:

Maintaining physical and electronic security to ensure that only authorized persons have access to the equipment
they require in performing their role

Securing equipment in locked rooms or cabinets and monitoring access

Performing background checks on all users before approving access

Maintaining a register of approved users

Preventing sharing of login credentials between users

Removing or changing credentials when a user moves to a new role or leaves

Removing or changing default accounts

Enforcing strong passwords and changing regularly

Providing temporary external access as required, supervise during use, and remove once complete

Detect
Having established an understanding of its asset base and the risks to it, the SMB must then have methods to monitor
for incidents, so that it is able to respond promptly and effectively to minimize the impact.

Define methods for monitoring

Monitoring methods will vary from organization to organization, based on the particular asset base and risk assess-
ment. In some cases, manual methods, such as checking log and system files, will suffice. For larger organizations
with more electronic activity, this may be impractical and automated tools may be needed.

Define responsibilities for monitoring

Having defined the methods for monitoring, the SMB must assign responsibilities for these activities.

In addition, all employees should receive awareness training, be instructed to be vigilant for signs of a cyber incident,
and be trained to report any type of cyber incident.

Identify improvements
Cybersecurity is an ever-changing situation. Threats, vulnerabilities, and risks change and SMBs need to be able to
adapt. In the detect function, SMBs must regularly review their monitoring methods and adjust them to suit changing
circumstances and according to incident experiences.

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 Industrial Cybersecurity for Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses
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Respond
The respond function comes into effect when an incident occurs. However, preparation is essential to a successful
response, and so an organization must take actions well in advance of any incident.

Maintain incident response plan

Key to a successful response, with minimal impact, is an effective cybersecurity incident management plan. The plan
needs to identify the possible cybersecurity incidents that may occur within the organization and document the step-
by-step procedures that should be followed in the event of each one. All employees should be aware of the risks of
cybersecurity incidents and their role in avoiding them.

Practice response processes

SMBs must test their cybersecurity incident management plan on a periodic basis. The test must be realistic and exer-
cise as many of the elements as possible, so as to be certain that established procedures will work when required.

Identify improvements
SMBs will need to update their incident management plans in response to changes in the cybersecurity landscape,
and also as a result of their incident response tests.

Recover
While the respond function comes into effect when an incident occurs, the recover function comes into effect once
the respond function is completed. As with the respond function, preparation is essential to a successful recovery, and
so an SMB must take actions well in advance of any incident.

Maintain backups of all systems and equipment

Key to a successful recovery from a cybersecurity incident is having the right backups in place. Having the right back-
ups in place requires an SMB to:

Identify what needs to be backed up

Determine back-up frequency based on operational requirements (How long can you operate without a working
system? How much data can you afford to lose?)

Store clearly labeled backups securely on-site and off-site, preferably in a fireproof safe

Practice recovery processes

SMBs must test their cybersecurity incident recovery processes on a periodic basis. The test must be realistic and exer-
cise as many of the elements as possible, so as to be certain that established procedures will work when required.

Identify improvements
SMBs will need to update their recovery processes in response to changes in the cybersecurity landscape, and also as a
result of their incident recovery tests.

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 Industrial Cybersecurity for Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses
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Awareness and training

The importance of awareness and training for employees cannot be understated. No amount of technical and proce-
dural mitigations will help if an employee takes an insecure action (e.g. inserting a removable drive without perform-
ing an anti-virus scan) due to lack of training or awareness.

External classroom and online training courses are recommended for SMBs to give their employees a clear under-
standing. Internal resources, such as assessment (surveys, tests) and awareness (videos, posters, emails) tools, should
be used to complement external courses and provide a constant reminder to employees.

Effective cybersecurity management should be a high-profile business objective that is reported on by management so
that employees are constantly reminded of its importance.

The International Society of Automation (ISA) provides training courses and certificate programs based on the ISA/IEC
62443 (Security of Industrial Automation and Control Systems) standard [4].

Assessment and continuous improvement

Self assessment
The International Society of Automation (ISA) has produced a survey that SMBs can take to self-assess their current
cybersecurity posture (as well as re-assess it after making changes).

To obtain a copy of the survey, contact ISA at [email protected].

Third-party assessment
For a nominal fee, ISA can review an SMBs survey responses. ISA utilizes a pool of international cybersecurity Subject
Matter Experts (SMEs) to provide this service. This third-party assessment will provide a more comprehensive, and
independent, review of the SMBs cybersecurity posture, with advice on how to proceed.

Continuous improvement
Effective cybersecurity management requires continuous improvement. The essential activities outlined above are only
the beginning.

For each of the five core functions of the Cybersecurity Framework, there are many degrees to which SMBs can go.
For example:

Network and equipment monitoring can be a manual activity in its simplest form, but SMBs can purchase speciality
software to assist

Third-party organizations can provide assessment services, including penetration testing, to validate the effective-
ness of cybersecurity mitigations

The degree to which SMBs should go will depend on the level of risk they perceive, and this may vary with time.

In addition, cybersecurity is continuously evolving, with new vulnerabilities, exploits, and threats arising all the time.
SMBs must continuously review their risk and adapt their mitigations to suit this changing landscape.

18
 Industrial Cybersecurity for Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses
A Practical Guide

References and further reading

[1] The Cybersecurity Framework, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST),
https://www.nist.gov/cyberframework

[2] Critical Security Controls, Center for Internet Security (CIS),

https://www.cisecurity.org/critical-controls.cfm

[3] IEC62443 Security For Industrial Automation and Control Systems, International Society of Automation (ISA),
https://www.isa.org/store/products/product-detail/?productId=116720

[4] IEC62443 Training Courses and Certificates, International Society of Automation (ISA),
https://www.isa.org/templates/two-column.aspx?pageid=124579

[5] 5 Reasons Why Small Businesses Need Cybersecurity, Tech.Co,

http://tech.co/should-small-businesses-be-paying-more-attention-to-cyber-security-2016-10

[6] Ten Cybersecurity Strategies for Small Businesses, US Chamber of Commerce,

https://www.uschamber.com/sites/default/files/legacy/issues/defense/files/10_CYBER_Strategies_for_Small_Biz.pdf

[7] Cybersecurity Resources for Small Businesses, Department of Homeland Security (DHS),
https://www.dhs.gov/publication/stopthinkconnect-small-business-resources

[8] Cybersecurity: A Small Business Guide, Business News Daily,

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8231-small-business-cybersecurity-guide.html

[9] Cybersecurity For Small Businesses Course, US Small Business Administration (SBA),
https://www.sba.gov/tools/sba-learning-center/training/cybersecurity-small-businesses

[10] Small Business Information Security: The Fundamentals, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST),
http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/ir/2016/NIST.IR.7621r1.pdf

[11] Top Ten Cybersecurity Tips, US Small Business Administration (SBA),

https://www.sba.gov/managing-business/cybersecurity/top-ten-cybersecurity-tips

[12] Cybersecurity for Small Business, Federal Communications Commission (FCC),

https://www.fcc.gov/general/cybersecurity-small-business

19
International Society of Automation
67 T.W. Alexander Drive
P.O. Box 12277
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
PHONE +1 919-549-8411 The International Society of Automation (www.isa.org) is a nonprofit
FAX +1 919-549-8288 professional association that sets the standard for those who apply
EMAIL [email protected] engineering and technology to improve the management, safety, and
www.isa.org cybersecurity of modern automation and control systems used across
industry and critical infrastructure. Founded in 1945, ISA develops widely
used global standards; certifies industry professionals; provides education
and training; publishes books and technical articles; hosts conferences
and exhibits; and provides networking and career development programs
for its 40,000 members and 400,000 customers around the world.
ISA owns Automation.com, a leading online publisher of automation-
related content, and is the founding sponsor of The Automation Federation
(www.automationfederation.org), an association of non-profit organizations
serving as The Voice of Automation. Through a wholly owned subsidiary,
ISA bridges the gap between standards and their implementation with
the ISA Security Compliance Institute (www.isasecure.org) and the ISA
Wireless Compliance Institute (www.isa100wci.org).

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