Cyber and physical are no longer distinct verticals in the age of innovative technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Recent incidents, including Florida water treatment plant cyber-attack in February 2021 and the US colonial pipeline ransomware attack in May 2021 demonstrated how cybercriminals are leveraging the gap between cyber and physical security domains.

Convergence Is Happening, But Not Fast

A recent survey done by ASIS Foundation in 2019 showed that only 24% of respondents had converged their cyber and physical security functions. In addition, 36% of participants reported that dissimilarities in culture and skillset between both the verticals is one of the leading obstacles to convergence.

The way to convergence is not easy and hence organizations often face challenges, like:

• Siloed Operations
• Confusion over roles and responsibilities
• Insufficient skill sets

Security Convergence is the Need of the Hour

The ultimate goal of integrating physical and cyber worlds is to ensure zero security gaps and address potential risks posed by adversaries targeting supply chains, endpoints, applications and remote workforce. Organizations with converged security are highly resilient and better prepared to identity, circumvent, respond to and recover from any threat.

So, how to establish such a function? This could be the question on your to-do list. Ideally, a converged security framework should be defined in accordance with the organization’s business, priorities and capabilities. Furthermore, there are some strategies that can be followed to achieve convergence.

• Build an integrated security culture Key stakeholders, along with senior security professionals need to plan and discuss what convergence might look like within the organization. Existing leadership structure, from top to down, must be reviewed to confirm whether it needs realignment. Following this, a dedicated converged team can be established to enable information sharing, deploy security products/applications and assess the entire network.

• 24/7 monitor and identify critical endpoints It is vital to monitor the Operational Technology (OT) environment round-the-clock for any suspicious activity and conduct vulnerability assessment on periodic intervals to look for security loopholes that could serve as the entry points to adversaries. The teams should assess the risk level of each vulnerability and take necessary steps to mitigate it. They must collaborate with IT security members to encourage employees to install required necessary updates to patch any weakness.

• Deploying advanced, robust security solutions To outpace complex, modern-day threats, it is recommended to implement cutting-edge security solutions that delivers end-to-end protection and can detect anomalies at every level within the infrastructure, while reducing false positives to as minimum as possible. Creating an in-house security operations center is a good option to bolster overall defence and increase visibility.

Positive Impact of Cyber-Physical Convergence

How GRAMAX Cybersec Can Help?

Today’s sophisticated threats needs a converged approach that must extend capabilities across cyber and physical environments and bring People, Process, Technology together to shorten the attack surface, reduce risk and meet compliance with applicable industry standards. GRAMAX partners with cutting-edge and industry-leading technologies and solutions to improve help teams detect and respond to both physical and IT security threats in a quicker and more unified way.

Being the dedicated cybersecurity division of RAXA Security Services Ltd., who is a GMR Group company, GRAMAX is able to address end-to-end security requirements of its clients across multiple industries and locations. RAXA is well-known for providing premier manned guarding services and specialized techno-security solutions, like Access Controls, Surveillance Systems, Command & Control Centers, etc.

With our trusted security solutions and services, enterprises can achieve the state of convergence. For more information, write to us at info.gramax@gmrgroup.in