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Siemens S7 PROFINET – A Shocking Network Architecture Flaw

A Shocking Flaw

Here’s an all too often overlooked item in the security architecture of industrial networks.

Below is a diagram of an industrial network architecture we’ve seen in a number of places.

In the diagram, a PLC with multiple network interfaces, in this case a PROFINET-enabled Siemens S7-300 or a S7-1500, is used to connect to the SCADA network on one side, and on the other side – to the I/O network.

Let’s imagine the following scenario:

  1. An attacker has gained access to a host in the SCADA network (10.0.0.x).
  2. The attacker wants to directly attack the I/O devices at 192.168.0.x, in order to sabotage the industrial process.

The question is: What should the attacker do in order to reach the I/O devices?

Think about it, then scroll down to see the answer.

Here’s the diagram of the industrial network architecture:

If you answered “nothing”, that’s the correct answer.

The S7-300, S7-1500 and other controllers with multiple network interfaces are sometimes used to “separate” the SCADA and I/O networks.

However, there is no such separation. If you use this feature, from the perspective of the SCADA network, there’s full L2+ access to the I/O network, and vice-versa.

The PROFINET interface on the S7-1500 (for example, the S7-1511 PN model) is a network switch, allowing anyone from the SCADA network full access to the I/O network, and vice versa.

From the perspective of the attacker, the network is completely flat.

As documented in the manual entry for the S7-1500 PROFINET-enabled CPU:

Source: Siemens, S7-1500 CPU 1511-PN Manual

And as documented in the manual entry for the S7-300 PROFINET-enabled CPU:

Source: Siemens, S7-300 CPU 319-3 PN/DP Manual

How Cyber Attackers Manipulate this Flaw

All an attacker has to do in order to access the I/O network directly, is to take a device in the SCADA network, add an IP address in the I/O network and then communicate with the field devices (in the I/O network) over any protocol they choose (Ethernet, IP, TCP, UDP, ICMP, etc).

This means that for example, if you have PROFINET I/O modules running on the I/O network, they’re accessible from ANY IP on the SCADA network, both by L2 (direct Ethernet) and by L3 (IP).

If you use this topology and you trust the I/O network to be separate from the OT network, this is a major flaw in your architecture.

How to Check if your I/O Field Network is Accessible From your SCADA Network

  1. Perform the test during maintenance windows or in production with caution. Contact SCADAfence support if you need help.
  2. Find out what is the IP range for your I/O network / fieldbus.
  3. Select an IP address that’s not in use, in the I/O network range.
  4. Change the IP of a test machine in the SCADA network using the following command:
netsh int ipv4 add address "Local Area Connection" 192.168.0.253 255.255.255.0
  1. Then, ping an I/O controller, a sensor, a PLC, or any other IP that answers pings in the I/O network. If you got a response back, your I/O network is flat together with your SCADA network.

How to Discover These Vulnerabilities Automatically

This flawed design has been discovered by the SCADAfence Platform: The platform has been used to monitor both the SCADA and I/O networks of a certain industrial facility. Although the I/O network was supposed to be segmented from the SCADA network, in the sensor installed in the SCADA network, the SCADAfence security teams have seen broadcasts originating from the I/O network. When the SCADAfence security teams inspected the topology further, they discovered that in contradiction with what the system integrator and OT team believed – the networks were connected and were completely flat.

How Many Networks are Separating Between I/O and SCADA Using A Network Switch?

For the purpose of this research, it was a network misconfiguration that the SCADAfence platform helped uncover. Nonetheless, this question is very important for OT & IoT network security.

This network architecture flaw is a very clear example of how network packet analysis is a fundamental technology for the security of OT and IoT networks.

If you want to try out the SCADAfence Platform and uncover all of the vulnerabilities in your OT network, we will be glad to help you. Book your free demo here: https://l.scadafence.com/schedule-a-demo-scadafence

About Version 2 Digital

Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About SCADAfence
SCADAfence helps companies with large-scale operational technology (OT) networks embrace the benefits of industrial IoT by reducing cyber risks and mitigating operational threats. Our non-intrusive platform provides full coverage of large-scale networks, offering best-in-class detection accuracy, asset discovery and user experience. The platform seamlessly integrates OT security within existing security operations, bridging the IT/OT convergence gap. SCADAfence secures OT networks in manufacturing, building management and critical infrastructure industries. We deliver security and visibility for some of world’s most complex OT networks, including Europe’s largest manufacturing facility. With SCADAfence, companies can operate securely, reliably and efficiently as they go through the digital transformation journey.

TÜV Rheinland Obtains CNAS and CMA Mask Testing Qualification

The international independent third-party testing, inspection and certification company, TÜV Rheinland Greater China, announced that TÜV Rheinland Shanghai has successfully obtained CNAS (China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment) and CMA ((China Inspection Body and Laboratory Mandatory Approval) mask testing qualification in August.

Masks, one of the effective types of protective equipment for prevention of virus spread, are playing an important role during the COVID-19 pandemic, and their quality is closely related to the health and safety of the public. With rapidly rising demand for masks both locally and globally, how to ensure the quality of masks on the market and protect those in need from virus infection has become vital. Whether selling domestically or exporting overseas, Chinese manufacturers need to obtain a test report issued by a third-party testing company. In China, testing reports with CMA symbol can be used for product quality evaluation, results, and judicial appraisal, and have legal effect. The TÜV Rheinland Mask Testing Laboratory can provide testing services for medical protective masks, medical surgical masks, daily protective masks, and industrial protective masks basing on CNAS/CMA accreditation. The following table can help customers understand more clearly the usage standards and usage ranges for different mask types.

TÜV Rheinland, as a notified body authorized by the European Union, can provide Conformity Testing services according to EU Directive for medical device products such as medical masks, forehead thermometers, ventilators, and CT scanners. As a CNAS accredited laboratory, it provides testing services for medical masks in accordance with the harmonized standard EN 14683:2019 of Medical Devices Directive.

About Version 2 Digital

Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About TUV
The TÜV Rheinland is a leading provider of technical services worldwide. Since our foundation in 1872, we have been providing safe and sustainable solutions for the challenges arising from the interaction between man, the environment and technology.As an independent, neutral and professional organization, we are committed to working towards a future that can fulfil the needs of both mankind and the environment in the long term.

VEGAS Creative Software Launches VEGAS Pro 21 and Partners with Boris FX to Include Mocha Planar Tracking

Introducing AI-Supported Masking and Compositing, Advanced VFX Framework

Madison, Wisconsin – VEGAS Creative Software announced today a major new upgrade to their flagship cloud-enabled software for video/audio editing, compositing and effects. VEGAS Pro 21 provides an improved, streamlined and more accessible content creation experience for the global creator community. The new version introduces a number of advanced features and workflow enhancements that add significant improvements to the VEGAS Pro workflow and creative possibilities for users.

VEGAS Creative Software also announced, in partnership with Boris FX, the release of Mocha VEGAS, a version of the Emmy award-winning motion tracking product specifically designed for VEGAS Pro 21. Launched directly from the VEGAS Pro interface, Mocha VEGAS gives instant access to the same sophisticated planar tracking technology that has made Mocha an industry standard for content creators of all types, including Hollywood pros.

VEGAS Pro 21: Another Leap Forward for the Global Creator Community

VEGAS Pro 21 caters to the needs of today’s content creators with the introduction of a number of new features and capabilities that bring sophisticated video and audio editing tools to users of all skill levels, making them even more accessible with flexible new pricing models.

Key new features introduced in VEGAS Pro 21 include:

  • Mocha VEGAS Planar Tracker: Mocha VEGAS is a custom version of the Mocha planar tracking tool developed by Boris FX that integrates tightly into the VEGAS Pro workflow. Tracking data is readily available to be applied in various ways inside VEGAS Pro, allowing the built-in Motion Tracking or Stabilization tools to achieve truly impressive results.
  • Z-Depth OFX Plug-in and Compositor: The new Z-Depth tool in VEGAS Pro 21 enables artists to achieve advanced compositing results and flexible video effects handling. Powered by AI-based image analysis, it allows for instantly defining a foreground and a background layer, simply based on a variable threshold value -and then treating those layers differently. Creative options range from placing text between some foreground objects and the background of the same image, or giving the background independent effect treatment such as blur or color correction.
  • Smart Masking: Now out of beta, the new Smart Masking plug-in analyzes video frame by frame and, again powered by AI, precisely identifies and tracks moving objects. It automatically generates detailed input for the Bézier Masking plug-in, which can be added to the FX chain with a mask already in place, saving hours of work in advanced compositing tasks. The newly created masks are of course fully adjustable to manually correct for any inaccuracies.
  • Adjustment Events: This new feature enables adding effects to projects in very flexible and creative ways by extending the unique architecture of VEGAS Pro. Creators can add time-based adjustment events to a project and assign any combination of effects to them. Any video events in the timeline connected to the adjustment event will be subject to its effect processing, which can also be dialed in dynamically over time. This can be used to easily bring effects in and out, create sophisticated custom transitions, and much more.
  • Cloud-Based Text to Speech: VEGAS Pro Text to Speech functionality has been further optimized and is now powered by cloud computing and available to all VEGAS Pro subscribers across all of the product variants. Expanded functionality includes scores of additional languages, accents, tones and voices, and the ability to access new voices and features as soon as they are ready, without having to wait for a new update release of VEGAS Pro.
  • New Transitions and Effects: VEGAS Pro 21 comes with a number of impressive new effects for creative editing and compositing: The Offset and Wrap plug-in enables a variety of motion-based sliding, mirroring and wrapping effects, especially useful when paired with Adjustment Events to create exciting transitions. New GL Transition presets include Static Wipe, which adds an organic-looking static edge to the transition line between two clips, and Directional Scale, a very useful tool to transition between clips by moving and scaling them in conjunction with each other.
  • Quick Upload: The Quick Upload function enables uploading files from the computer or other devices to the VEGAS Hub File Drop collections. This allows for easy backups as well as working with your media files more easily across multiple devices, drastically reducing the time necessary to get them to the VEGAS Pro timeline.

The VEGAS Pro Lineup

VEGAS Creative Software caters to the diversity of content creators with a variety of products to meet their specific requirements and budget. The VEGAS Pro mission is to provide them with all the tools they need to realize their ideas from start to finish, without the need to launch third-party apps. VEGAS Pro 21 is available in three options:

VEGAS Pro Edit

Ideally suited for professional content creators, aspiring editors and even novices who want the pure VEGAS Pro editing experience, VEGAS Pro Edit includes:

  • VEGAS Pro 21
  • 20GB of cloud storage (available with subscription plan)
  • Cloud-based Text-to-Speech and Speech-to-Text (newly-available with subscription plan)
  • VEGAS Content: 20 royalty-free HD video / audio clips per month (with subscription plan)

 

VEGAS Pro Suite

Designed for aspiring and professional content creators like filmmakers, social media influencers, YouTubers, and others, VEGAS Pro Suite includes:

  • VEGAS Pro 21- full software
  • SOUND FORGE Audio Studio – complete audio editing solution
  • ACID Music Studio – loop-based music production
  • Mocha VEGAS – motion tracking software
  • Boris FX Primatte Studio – chroma keying software
  • 50GB of cloud storage (available with subscription plan)
  • Cloud-based Text-to-Speech and Speech-to-Text (newly-available with subscription plan)
  • VEGAS Content: 20 royalty-free HD video / audio clips per month (with subscription plan)

 

VEGAS Pro Post

Developed for content creators who require a complete video/audio editing and high-end compositing and RAW image compositing workflow experience, VEGAS Pro Post includes:

  • VEGAS Pro 21
  • VEGAS Effects for high-end compositing
  • VEGAS Image for RAW image compositing
  • SOUND FORGE Pro – professional audio editor
  • ACID Pro – creative loop-based DAW
  • Mocha VEGAS – motion tracking software
  • Boris FX Primatte Studio – chroma keying software
  • 100GB of cloud storage (available with subscription plan)
  • Cloud-based Text-to-Speech and Speech-to-Text (newly-available with subscription plan)
  • VEGAS Content: Unlimited access to royalty-free HD and 4K video and/or audio clip downloads (available with subscription plan)

About Version 2 Digital

Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About VEGAS
Today, millions of VEGAS Pro and VEGAS Movie Studio users benefit from global industry-leading video editing technologies. Now, VEGAS launches into a new era. In May, 2016, MAGIX acquired the multiple award-winning VEGAS Pro and VEGAS Movie Studio product lines, along with other video and audio products. VEGAS Creative Software stands poised to take video editing to a new level. Our development teams in the US and Germany are working on innovative solutions to old problems, and building tools that push the boundaries of what’s currently possible. The VEGAS Creative Software mission: to make VEGAS software faster, more efficient, and even more intuitive. Our goal: to provide users at all levels–from video editing amateurs to creative professionals–tools that are perfectly suited to their needs and demands.

Risas Dental and Braces Turns to Scale Computing’s High-performing Edge Computing IT Infrastructure for Maximum Uptime and Reliability

INDIANAPOLIS – September 9 – Scale Computing, a market leader in edge computing, virtualization and hyperconverged solutions, today announced Risas Dental and Braces, a national dental and orthodontics chain, has implemented Scale Computing HC3 to power its edge computing infrastructure. Post-implementation, Risas Dental and Braces has reported major improvements in performance, backup, cost savings and time spent on managing its distributed enterprise IT infrastructure and zero downtime for its 25 national dental and orthodontic store locations.

Founded eight years ago in a medically underserved community, Risas Dental and Braces has retained a strong focus on placing the patient first with high-quality and affordable services. For all of its office locations in the United States, Risas Dental and Braces was in need of an IT infrastructure solution that met both its budget and business needs. On its priority list was an IT infrastructure that is high-performing, self-healing, simple to manage and able to scale for future demands.

Before choosing Scale Computing, Risas Dental and Braces was using a legacy virtualization system for its distributed enterprise IT infrastructure, which was found to be costly, inconsistent and difficult to manage. Risas Dental and Braces needed a solution that can be clustered for high availability and managed remotely with ease for its national locations at the edge of the network. Risas Dental and Braces turned to Scale Computing for enterprise-class features that could be deployed quickly, be managed locally and remotely, and provide self-healing technology.

“With a small IT staff of six to manage our 25 locations, we needed a distributed enterprise IT infrastructure solution to meet the growing workload demands of our department, while still being simple to manage,” explained Chris Lawrence, chief information officer and chief information security officer at Risas Dental and Braces. “We were impressed by the simplicity, autonomy and high-performance of Scale Computing HC3. With Scale Computing, our organization’s overall performance has increased with zero downtime, which has enabled our IT team to focus on more strategic business activities.”

After implementing Scale Computing HC3, Risas Dental and Braces has saved 15-20% of its time managing the distributed enterprise IT infrastructure, experienced zero downtime, and reported major improvements to its overall performance, allowing for its IT team’s focus to be switched to business data and analytics. As part of its backup strategy, Risas Dental and Braces turned to the Scale Computing Data Protection Suite, relying on Scale Computing HC3 to provide the solution for failover between its multi-location model.

“High-performance, simplicity and availability are highly important features for any organization, especially a business like Risas Dental and Braces, that puts the needs of its customers first within its 25 dental and orthodontics locations nationally,” commented Jeff Ready, CEO and co-founder, Scale Computing. “With Scale Computing, Risas Dental and Braces now has an all-in-one simple, reliable and affordable edge computing solution that has enabled a decrease in time spent managing IT infrastructure.”

With Scale Computing HC3, virtualization, edge computing, servers, storage and backup/disaster recovery have been brought into a single, easy-to-use platform. All of the components are built in, including the hypervisor, without the need for any third-party components or licensing. Scale Computing HC3 includes rapid deployment, automated management capabilities, and a single-pane-of-management, helping to streamline and simplify daily tasks, saving time and money.

For more information on Scale Computing HC3, visit: https://version-2.com/scale-computing/.

About Version 2 Digital

Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About Scale Computing 
Scale Computing is a leader in edge computing, virtualization, and hyperconverged solutions. Scale Computing HC3 software eliminates the need for traditional virtualization software, disaster recovery software, servers, and shared storage, replacing these with a fully integrated, highly available system for running applications. Using patented HyperCore™ technology, the HC3 self-healing platform automatically identifies, mitigates, and corrects infrastructure problems in real-time, enabling applications to achieve maximum uptime. When ease-of-use, high availability, and TCO matter, Scale Computing HC3 is the ideal infrastructure platform. Read what our customers have to say on Gartner Peer Insights, Spiceworks, TechValidate and TrustRadius.

LGPD: How to comply with the 10 privacy principles

After two years of waiting, the general data protection law (LGPD) will finally come into force in Brazil. The law aims to regulate the processing of personal data, mainly ensuring the security, transparency, and integrity of the data provided.

Since its announcement, it has been widely discussed among companies how to adapt to the rules established by law, as the impact on data processing is enormous for companies to create their communication strategies and protect personal data effectively.

Companies that have not yet adapted to the LGPD are subject to fines of R$ 50 million, which would bring huge losses to any company.

If you have not adjusted yours yet and want to catch up with the damage as soon as possible, we have this article to show you the 10 privacy principles for you to comply with the LGPD, check them out:

Learn More: 7 important details between the LGPD (Brazilian) and the GDPR (European)

10 Privacy Principles

Before you put measures in place to regulate your company, it is important to know the 10 privacy principles that LGPD requires from companies, which are:

  1. Purpose limitation principle: inform the purpose of collecting data from the user.
  2. Adequacy principle: the data will have to be processed in a way that makes sense with the purpose that was informed to the holder.
  3. Necessity principle: request only the information necessary for the fulfillment of its purpose.
  4. Free access principle: give assurance to the personal data holder that they can know the form and duration for which their data will be used.
  5. Quality of data principle: the company will be responsible for the quality of provided.
  6. Transparency principle: the user must receive a notice with a detailed list of how their personal data can be used.
  7. Security principle: a company must have a means to ensure that only authorized people have access to such data.
  8. Prevention principle: data cannot be shared with other companies or people not authorized to process it.
  9. Non-discrimination principle: data cannot be used for illegal purposes.
  10. Accountability principle: it is necessary to have the term that ensures the 10 principles are being followed.

How to Ensure that the 10 Principles are Followed

To ensure the integrity of personal data, your information security team must contribute a lot, since fully protecting personal data is required for the company to have efficient privileged access control.

One that allows only authorized people to access the information and ensures the security from any internal or external threat, in addition to recording all types of actions taken on personal data.

A good way to solve this effectively is by hiring a PAM solution. A good PAM solution manages all the points you need to pay attention to, ensures internal and external security, and even records all actions performed within the databases. If you are curious to know how a PAM solution works, fill out the form below and request the demo.

About Version 2 Digital

Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About Segura®
Segura® strive to ensure the sovereignty of companies over actions and privileged information. To this end, we work against data theft through traceability of administrator actions on networks, servers, databases and a multitude of devices. In addition, we pursue compliance with auditing requirements and the most demanding standards, including PCI DSS, Sarbanes-Oxley, ISO 27001 and HIPAA.

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