GrayMatter releases its latest cybersecurity offering to protect industrial companies and critical infrastructure from the types of cyberattacks outlined in a new alert from the National Security and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security agencies.
GrayMatter’s deceptionGUARD enables industrial organizations to divert intrusion attempts to harmless, virtual decoys and block network traffic from countries where attacks often originate such as China, Russia, and Iran.
Operational Technology systems and civilian infrastructure make “attractive targets for foreign powers attempting to do harm to U.S. interest,” the NSA cybersecurity alert said.
GrayMatter’s deceptionGUARD uses virtual decoys or sirens to lure cyberattacks to an innocuous target, known as a honeypot, where they can’t cause harm. The technology automatically analyzes the type, origin, and method of attack, halts the intrusion, and provides organizations with a plan to improve protections.
“You must have a cybersecurity strategy that’s resilient,” says Scott Christensen, GrayMatter’s Cybersecurity Practice Lead. “Sometimes the ability to withstand an intrusion is more valuable than outright prevention.”
In-house cybersecurity professionals typically focus on securing employee-facing IT assets such as desktops, laptops, firewalls, and web browsers.
deceptionGUARD by GrayMatter augments Operational Technology (OT) at industrial companies by adding a layer of security to Internet-accessible OT assets and the Industrial Control Systems that encompass SCADA, PLCs, and other physical plant controls.
“It’s a couple of keystrokes and you’re protected. People are denied access immediately,” says an industrial cyber professional at an organization that has deployed deceptionGUARD.
DeceptionGUARD helps industrial companies protect against cyber threats in four ways:
- Emphasizes an offense-based solution instead of defense-based;
- Cyberattacks reach harmless, decoy targets;
- Fills gaps in knowledge about industrial networks;
- Expands a company’s limited cybersecurity resources.
“Cybersecurity has been a big issue because of everyone being more remote and needing to connect securely. It’s really put industrial cybersecurity in the spotlight,” says James Gillespie, GrayMatter Co-Founder, and CEO. “Our answer is deceptionGUARD because it’s specifically targeted to enhance OT cybersecurity.”
DeceptionGUARD debuts Aug. 5 at Transform.virtual, GrayMatter’s Industrial Intelligence Conference, an online conference where hundreds of industry professionals engage in live panel discussions, educational seminars, and customer stories.
GrayMatter is a technology consulting company that curates and implements digital transformation and cybersecurity solutions for industrial companies in the U.S. and Canada.
