Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from the Practical SCADA Security blog at Tofino Security.
In last week’s blog, Professor Paul Dorey recently presented a paper about the seven important lessons the IT world has learned in managing Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs). In this article, I will discuss lessons #2, #3 and #4, and how to apply these lessons to ICS and SCADA security.

APTs have been discussed in some depth in previous blogs, so if you aren’t familiar with the concept (or need a review) check out Part #1 of this series. If you want real world examples of APTs, especially ones that have impacted the energy and chemical industries, browse some of my previous blogs on Nitro, Night Dragon and Duqu. Read more »

Recently a very complex worm called Flame has been discovered attacking companies in the Middle East, and it is an excellent example of what security experts call an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT). Figuring out how to defend against APTs is a major focus in the IT security world.

Now while Flame was busy attacking the Middle East, I was in Abu Dhabi at the International Cyber Security Forum for Energy and Utilities, listening to a talk by Paul Dorey called “Advanced Persistent Threats – A Real Problem with Real Solutions” (you can download his presentation at the end of this article). Paul’s talk focused on security for the IT industry, but there were important lessons on managing attacks in the ICS / SCADA world. I will focus on one of those lessons in today’s blog. Read more »