Helping the Energy Sector Navigate NERC Complexities

The energy sector is the cornerstone of modern infrastructure, powering essential services and supporting the daily operations of economies worldwide. However, it also faces unique cybersecurity challenges, particularly in complying with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC CIP) standards.

Cyber threats keep growing in sophistication and frequency and the sector’s critical assets—such as power grids, pipelines, and renewable energy networks—face unprecedented risk. The implications of a cyberattack on these systems extend far beyond data breaches, potentially leading to widespread outages, environmental harm, and national security concerns. This makes the integration of robust cybersecurity measures paramount.

With this in mind, Fortra’s Tripwire recently hosted it’s annual user group for energy customers, the Energy & NERC CIP Compliance Working Group, in the run-up to GridSecCon. During the event, the company unpacked several tips and tricks to help entities navigate these complexities using Fortra’s Tripwire Enterprise.

The CIP Dashboard – Make Tripwire Enterprise Policy Engine Do the Work

Tripwire Enterprise helps boost the security of critical infrastructure by offering comprehensive file integrity monitoring (FIM) and security configuration management (SCM), helping these entities detect unauthorized changes, automate compliance, and remediate vulnerabilities across on-premises and cloud environments.

Tripwire advises letting the CIP Dashboard within Tripwire Enterprise (TE) do the heavy lifting. This tool offers a centralized view of compliance status across various NERC CIP requirements. It simplifies the monitoring process by automating compliance checks and providing real-time insights into security configurations. Many Tripwire customers check the NERC CIP results from their allowlisting solutions manually. By using the Policy Engine in TE to check the results and look for any failures you save time in the process of looking for exceptions.

Entities can also use this policy dashboard to streamline their audit processes and ensure they meet regulatory standards efficiently, reducing the manual effort typically associated with compliance audits.

COCR Rules and the Power of the Script

Tripwire’s capabilities extend to Compliance Operations Control Rules (COCR), which allow businesses to automate compliance tasks through scripting. This feature empowers users to create custom scripts that enforce security policies consistently across their systems.

By automating routine compliance checks and remediation actions, entities can improve their security posture while adhering to NERC CIP standards, thus limiting human error and oversight.

Tripwire Enterprise API – Baseline Point in Time Report

The Tripwire Enterprise API facilitates the generation of baseline reports that capture system configurations at specific points in time. This functionality is crucial for energy sector firms, as it allows them to maintain an accurate record of system states, which is key for compliance audits.

There is a point-in-time report built-in to TE Commander that is very useful, but the format is fixed. So, some entities wanted the ability to customize the output of the point-in-time baseline report. The robust TE REST-API interface allows customers to get the data needed and you can ask your Tripwire team for a copy of an example point-in-time Powershell script to get started.

By having access to historical data, companies can quickly identify deviations from established baselines and respond proactively to potential security incidents.

The Power of Services When You Need Them

The importance of being able to access cybersecurity services and specialized expertise when a situation arises cannot be understated. In the energy sector, where operational disruptions can lead to cascading consequences across industries and communities, having instant access to expert cybersecurity support is crucial.

This often involves on-demand consulting services to address emerging vulnerabilities, immediate incident response to minimize the impact of cyber incidents, and tailored threat intelligence to stay ahead of evolving threats.

Tripwire also offers robust professional services that assist organizations in implementing and optimizing their compliance strategies. These services include tailored assessments and training sessions designed to enhance understanding of NERC CIP requirements and best practices for cybersecurity.

By leveraging expert guidance, energy sector companies can improve their compliance readiness and effectively manage their cybersecurity risks.

Best Practices and How-To’s

Implementing best practices is vital for maintaining compliance with NERC CIP standards. Some recommended strategies include:

Regular Assessments Against NERC CIP Requirements

Implement Automated Monitoring Tools: Make use of tools that continuously assess system configurations against established NERC CIP requirements. These should be capable of detecting unauthorized changes in real time.

Define Allowlists: Create and maintain allowlists for critical system components, services, and configurations. Regularly update these lists to reflect changes in operational requirements and security policies.

Schedule Regular Audits: Establish a routine comprehensive audit schedule that compares current system states against compliance requirements. This helps identify gaps and ensures timely remediation.  Check your compliance reports every week so that there are no surprises at the end of the 35-day cycle.

Watch Threat Intelligence Feeds: Integrate threat intelligence into monitoring systems to stay updated on emerging vulnerabilities and threats specific to the energy sector.

Automated Reporting Features

Leverage Reporting Tools: Use reporting tools that allow customization based on specific compliance needs. This enables organizations to generate reports tailored to NERC CIP standards and internal policies.

Schedule Automated Reports: Implement a system for generating automated reports on a regular basis (this could be weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly). Make sure that these reports include key compliance metrics and security incidents.

Create Audit Trails: Maintain detailed logs of all changes and configurations within systems. This should include timestamps, user IDs, and descriptions of changes to help audits run smoothly.

Use Templates: Develop templates for common report types—compliance status and incident response—to streamline the reporting process and maintain consistency across reports.

Integration with Existing Systems

Choose Compatible Solutions: When choosing monitoring tools, look at those that offer robust APIs for integration with existing change management and incident response systems.

Centralize Security Management: Implement a centralized security management platform that aggregates data from various sources (think of firewalls and intrusion detection systems) to provide a holistic view of security posture.

Establish Clear Workflows: Define workflows integrating security monitoring with change management processes. See that any changes made to systems are logged and reviewed for compliance before implementation.

Training and Culture

Building a culture of cybersecurity awareness among employees further strengthens defenses. Regularly training staff on energy sector-specific cybersecurity risks, such as phishing and insider threats, promotes vigilance. Encouraging a reporting culture and running cross-functional drills that include both IT and OT teams help unify response efforts and foster a proactive approach to security.

Essential Tools for Securing Energy

Fortra’s Tripwire solutions provide essential tools for managing cybersecurity in the energy sector while ensuring compliance with NERC CIP standards. Tripwire helps organizations across the critical infrastructure industry enhance their security measures effectively and efficiently through automation, real-time monitoring, and expert services.