Background

Natural gas infrastructure is composed of million miles of pipelines used to gather, transport and distribute natural gas, and oil from producing basins to end-use consumers. Pipeline infrastructure is one of the safest ways of transporting materials compared to road or rail. It is an extremely important enabler of economic and national security for a country.

As energy demand and production continue to increase, so has additional pipeline capacity and projects. Pipeline owners and operators are increasingly integrating information and communication technologies (ICT) into information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) to increase safety, automation, and optimized performance of pipeline operations.

The integration of modern automation technology into critical pipeline systems provides reliable and efficient services, but it also contains security risks and cyber-threats. Early 2021, a critical pipeline that supplied for the U.S. East Coast was briefly shut down after being hit by a massive ransomware attack. Such cybersecurity incidents are a growing threat, and especially for critical public infrastructures, have prompted governments to implement new regulations and guidelines to strengthen industrial network security.

Many companies today need to be prepared that they will also experience some form of cyber-attack, by addressing potential cybersecurity risks and enact preventive cybersecurity techniques.  

Requirements

As ransomware and malware attacks have been rising dramatically, companies need to implement a robust cybersecurity program, one that utilizes diversified security encryption, monitoring, and backups to ensure the system is protected from threats.

In light of this, a global leader in network infrastructure sought out Lanner to work together in developing an industrial cybersecurity hardware appliance. The joint solution meets all the requirements and features as below:

  • Wide operating temperature - Extreme ambient temperature may occur frequently in factory environments. Therefore, the joint solution must support wide operating temperatures to have the necessary endurance in harsh environments.
  • Onboard TPM – A TPM-integrated hardware platform includes security features such as generating cryptographic keys, data encryption and hardware-based protection. Since TPM 2.0 is a hardware-rooted technology, cryptographic processes are accelerated in comparison to software-only technologies.
  • Dual Power Path - For equipment deployed in the utility sector, a reliable power supply is essential. A dual power path offers higher stability and dependability.
  • DIN-Rail mount - DIN-Rail mounting is the most space-efficient and practical way of on-site device installation.
  • Wireless connectivity options – Network connectivity plays a fundamental role in the development of an IIoT security platform. With a wireless network, asset visibility and threat management are available to Industrial IT management, while real-time SCADA monitoring enables a quicker response to detected anomalies.
  • Various front access I/O ports: 5 x GbE LAN with 1 pair bypass, 2 x GbE SFP

 

Solutions

Corporations have acknowledged the serious threat that cyberattacks pose and taken an initiative to transform their cybersecurity efforts. Lanner’s LEC-6041, an C1D2 certified industrial cybersecurity appliance, was designed to enhance cybersecurity protection in both IT and OT domains. LEC-6041 Series is empowered by Intel Atom x7-E3950 or x5-E3930 for low power consumption and high processing performance.

As a rugged firewall deployed in challenging environments, LEC-6041 comes with IEC 61850-3 and IEEE 1613, as well as 1.5 KV magnetic isolation protections for LAN port and 15KV ESD Protection for I/O ports. The onboard Trusted Platform Module (TPM) adds multiple layers of hardware-based security featuring cryptographic key generation and data encryption. LEC-6041 is a high-available system with dual power paths for stable, continuous operational performance. The system can operate in a wide range of operating temperature from -40°C to 70°C. All of the hardware designs assure that the industrial security gateway LEC-6041 will never have downtime while operating in hazardous environment.

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LEC-6041

IEC 61850-3 Wide Temperature ICS Cyber Security Gateway with Intel Atom CPU

CPU Intel Atom x7-E3950 or x5-E3930
Chipset SoC

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