Protecting the GIPL pipeline
Waterfall teams with ELSIS TS to reinforce cybersecurity at gas interconnection Poland and Lithuania facilities
Customer/ Partner:
Lithuanian-based ICT and OT company ELSIS TS at GIPL sites
Customer Requirement:
Protecting operational data exchange within the gas transmission SCADA system, while enabling safe visibility and exchange of operational data for both pipeline partners.
Waterfall’s Unidirectional Solution:
Secures control system network perimeters from external threats with Unidirectional Security Gateways, enabling enterprise-wide visibility for operations status and key performance indicators as well as safe ICS network monitoring from a central enterprise SIEM.
Cross border pipeline infrastructure is facing real cyber threats
The Colonial Pipeline incident, Russian actions in the Ukraine, targeted ransomware actors and other threats have raised serious concerns about the cybersecurity of critical national infrastructures. This deployment of Unidirectional Gateways provides the world’s strongest protection from online attacks to this important natural gas interconnection.
The challenge
Secure the automation processes of the GIPL pipeline for the safe exchange of operational data between the gas transmission systems of the two countries, without posing risk to reliable, uninterrupted and efficient operation of the complex, transnational pipeline infrastructure. In addition, enable a central dispatch centre to remotely monitor and control process operations.
Waterfall solution
Waterfall integrated Unidirectional Security Gateways to unidirectionally replicate gas metering and pressure reduction data between Polish and Lithuanian sites, without posing risk to process control networks. Unidirectional Gateways replicate industrial data to a central dispatch center to enable the safe exchange of data between geographically dispersed sites.
Results & benefits
Security: Unidirectional Gateways enabled the secure exchange of multisite operational data between countries. OT data replication provides strong assurance that no attack from the IT network can enter the operational network.
Simplicity: Unidirectional server replication makes the gateways easy to use. The unidirectional replicas are realtime participants in both source and destination networks.
Performance: Safe industrial data exchange for international pipeline infrastructure, not only optimizes business efficiencies, but ensures the security of critical resources.
Theory of Operation
Waterfall Unidirectional Security Gateways replace firewalls in industrial network environments, providing absolute protection to control systems and industrial control networks from attacks originating from external less-trusted networks. Unidirectional Gateways contain both hardware and software components. The hardware components include a TX Module, containing a fiber-optic transmitter/ laser, and an RX Module, containing an optical receiver, but no laser. The gateway hardware can transmit information from an industrial network to an external network, but is physically incapable of propagating any virus, DOS attack, human error or any cyber attack at all back into the protected industrial network.
This deployment used two Unidirectional Security Gateways to enable safe control-system data exchange, external monitoring, and visibility into operations for the GIPL sites. Unidirectional Gateways replicate servers, emulate industrial devices and translate industrial data to cloud formats. Unidirectional Gateway technology represents a plug-and-play replacement for firewalls, without the vulnerabilities and maintenance issues that accompany firewall deployments.
Unidirectional Security Gateways Benefits
Safe operational data exchange between geographically disparate facilities
Secure monitoring of operational data from less-secure,
Internet-based networks
Strongest industrial security for automation processes and
systems
Safe replication of critical data to enhance operational
efficiencies
Global Cybersecurity Standards Recommend Unidirectional Security Gateways
Waterfall Security is the market leader for Unidirectional Gateway technology with installations at critical infrastructure sites across the globe. The enhanced level of protection provided by Waterfall’s Unidirectional Security Gateway technology is recognized as best practice by leading industry standards bodies and authorities such as NIST, ANSSI, NERC CIP, the ISA, the US DHS, ENISA and many more.
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