Whitepaper8 min read
Securing the OT/IT Gap: Best Practices for Manufacturing Networks
D
David Naidoo
Head of Technical Sales
Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT) have converged. This exposes 20-year-old PLCs, which were never designed for security, to the internet.
The Purdue Model
The gold standard is segmentation. Level 0-2 (Factory Floor) should NEVER talk directly to Level 4/5 (Enterprise Network).
Industrial DMZ (iDMZ)
Implement an iDMZ at Level 3.5. This acts as a proxy buffer. PLCs push data to a historian in the iDMZ. The Enterprise ERP pulls data from that historian. No direct traffic flows through.
Ruggedized Firewalls
Use DIN-rail mounted firewalls like the FortiGate Rugged 60F directly in the control cabinet to inspect Modbus/TCP traffic for anomalies.