Strategies for Implementing Effective Threat Detection in IIoT

The industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is growing rapidly. While that’s good news for businesses in terms of productivity and cost savings, these devices carry unique cybersecurity risks that demand attention. Amid such rising concerns, IIoT threat detection is a must.

Why Organizations Need IIoT Threat Detection

IIoT endpoints are inherently risky because of the potential for lateral movement. Breaching a connected operational technology (OT) system is often easier than an IT one. As a result, attackers can use IoT devices as entryways into a network and move to sensitive systems and data once inside.

Many IIoT networks also lack sufficient protection. Up to 64% use insecure passwords, and two-thirds do not have the latest antivirus updates. In some cases, weak built-in controls limit necessary defenses. Industrial control systems (ICS) may lack multifactor authentication (MFA) and encryption support or be incompatible with off-the-shelf anti-malware software.

While basic cybersecurity practices like stronger credentials will help, threat detection is a necessary step forward. Given how weak many built-in IIoT security features are, stopping a breach in progress is a more relevant reality than in other environments. Consequently, organizations need ongoing threat monitoring.

The IIoT’s expansion presents another complication. There were 16.6 billion active IoT connections by the end of 2023 — a figure that has exhibited steady growth over the past few years and shows no signs of stopping. Maintaining visibility becomes increasingly difficult as these networks grow in size and complexity. The resulting gap leads to unaddressed vulnerabilities.

IIoT Threat Detection Strategies

A formal threat detection and response strategy will help companies recognize dangers as they arise and address them before a cybercriminal takes advantage of them. Here are five steps businesses should follow to implement IIoT threat detection.

1. Maximize Network Visibility

Effective threat detection in any context relies on understanding network and endpoint activity in depth. Consequently, organizations must ensure greater visibility before going further.

Thankfully, many companies are starting to require ICS network monitoring and accurate asset inventories. However, transparency is still an issue in many industrial environments, so a network and system audit is often necessary. These tests should develop and update records of all IIoT devices, their connections and how data moves between them.

This work is data-heavy, repetitive, and time-consuming. Therefore, it is usually best to automate it through automatic network mapping tools. This will save time and reduce errors to boost asset inventory accuracy, making threat hunting more reliable.

2. Perform a Security Assessment

Businesses must also measure how their existing protections compare to current cybersecurity standards and look for known vulnerabilities. The ideal strategy is to perform a security assessment.

Some critical infrastructure security regulations require regular third-party testing, but even companies falling outside these laws should partake in it. An assessment will reveal where defenses are strong and where they may have vulnerabilities or compliance gaps. As a result, they highlight areas requiring additional attention to prevent future breaches.

Security assessments examine an organization’s overall security, not just IIoT-specific concerns. Such a broad approach is preferable, but companies with limited time or budgets may choose to focus on their Industry 4.0 networks. Regardless of the extent of the analysis, IT leaders must respond to the results. The assessment itself only provides baseline information — it takes adaptation and further testing to turn the audit into valuable results.

3. Employ Endpoint Detection and Response

Endpoint detection and response (EDR) is another crucial IIoT threat detection strategy. This practice involves monitoring device networks for suspicious activity. Recognizing unusual actions enables automated systems to identify and contain potential attacks in near-real time.

Building and deploying an EDR solution is complicated, but there are many off-the-shelf systems available today that make it easier and more reliable. Companies save time and money while avoiding the need for extensive IT knowledge as long as they find an EDR provider compatible with their IIoT environment.

Businesses should be careful when choosing and implementing an EDR solution. Paying attention to how the provider approaches AI training is particularly important. Any mistakes or oversights could produce an anomaly detection algorithm with a high false positive rate — a significant problem, considering 70% of security teams feel overwhelmed by high alert volumes. Asking providers about how they manage this issue and looking through past customer reviews will help.

4. Develop a Threat Hunting Process

Organizations must also take a more proactive approach to IIoT threat detection. They should embrace active threat hunting to resolve issues before cybercriminals use them to cause damage.

Threat hunting involves searching for known attack signatures and other vulnerabilities. It’s similar to security assessments and EDR — and such measures can be part of the process — but it must go further. Scanning networks for malware signatures and using real-time monitoring tools to identify suspicious behavior should also play a role in the strategy.

Like with maximizing visibility, automation is key. Manual threat hunting is slow, expensive and may introduce errors. By contrast, AI-enabled automated solutions can deliver a higher standard of precision, work in near-real time and prevent IT staffing concerns.

5. Embrace Zero Trust

Businesses should consider a zero-trust approach to their IIoT systems. While just 15% of companies today have implemented such a network architecture, it can significantly elevate IIoT security.

The zero-trust philosophy is not a threat detection method in its own right. However, it facilitates easier detection by verifying all users, endpoints and activity before allowing it to proceed and minimizing permissions wherever possible. As a result, it stops or slows many attacks and makes it easier to recognize unaddressed threats.

Zero trust centers on suspicion and verification — similar to the core tenets of threat detection. Consequently, it’s a critical complementary technology that no IIoT security strategy is complete without.

The IIoT Needs Monitoring to Be Safe

The IIoT can only reach its full potential when its operation does not entail unnecessarily high cybersecurity risks. Without reliable, proactive security measures, the costs of a breach may eradicate any material benefits.

These five strategies will help detect and resolve relevant threats to enable a safer, more reliable IIoT environment. While IIoT threat detection can certainly go beyond these methods, it starts here.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this guest author article are solely those of the contributor, and do not necessarily reflect those of Tripwire.