Defending Our Water Systems: BlastShield's Role in Enhancing Cybersecurity and Securing Critical Infrastructure

Investing in defensive cybersecurity systems can prevent costly and dangerous attacks on our water and wastewater systems. BlastShield enhances the security of these systems by combining secure remote access, network segmentation, and network cloaking into a single product, simplifying  OT security and reducing costs by up to 70%.

In March 2023, the EPA released a new cybersecurity mandate in conjunction with the 2023 National Cybersecurity Strategy. This announcement highlighted how critical infrastructure categories are increasingly vulnerable to cyber threats. Public water systems (PWS) are vulnerable to attacks that “have the potential to disable or contaminate the delivery of drinking water to consumers and other essential facilities like hospitals.” By proactively protecting these systems, we can prevent attacks before they happen.

Treatment systems might use coagulants, polymers, fluoride, disinfectants, and agents for corrosion control to produce water for human consumption–but where does one “pour in” cyber security? Hidden beneath any array of pipes, pumps, sensors, and valves resides vast numbers of electronic cyber assets used to control it all. While all cyber systems must take care to prevent any degradation of availability due to malicious or inappropriate access, assets in the Operational Technology (OT) domain often face even greater challenges. As many as one third of all OT cyber systems contain vulnerabilities. Under the new mandate, states are now responsible for conducting cyber assessments as part of their routine annual sanitary surveys.

In October 2023, CISA issued a reminder about the convergence of IT and OT systems and how these systems  can be better secured. One of the recommendations includes a robust vulnerability patching process. However, In many industrial environments, patching isn’t possible due to the fact a third of all OT devices containing vulnerabilities are unsupported by vendors. BlastShield can protect unpatchable legacy infrastructure or provide protection until an available patch can be applied, in planned maintenance windows.

The Solution

BlastShield is capable of addressing 4 of 10 policy recommendations germaine to water sector cybersecurity, as recommended by the EPA. 

In addition to these features, BlastShield also provides device and network cloaking, as well as protection against man-in-the-middle attacks and ransomware.

BlastShield provides a cost-efficient option, merging several systems into one, which can reduce OT security costs by up to 70%. 

Additional Funding

To enhance the security of water systems, there are funding options for traditionally underfunded PWS, available for states, cities, counties, towns, and tribal lands. 

For a deeper dive into the crucial interplay of cybersecurity and public water systems, don't miss our informative solution brief, "Navigating the Evolving Landscape: EPA's Approach to Cybersecurity for Public Water Systems." This guide comprehensively illustrates the expanded role of cybersecurity in maintaining the integrity of our water systems, highlighting key considerations and effective strategies.

Download the brief now to enhance your understanding and approach to securing our vital water infrastructure:
‍https://go.blastwave.com/hubfs/epa-cybersecurity-guidelines.pdf