Mitsubishi Electric is urging Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) providers to secure their operational technology (OT) estates in the wake of a warning by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) of ‘severe’ cyber threats on the horizon.
The initial alert, which was issued by Jonathan Ellison, director for national resilience at the NCSC, came after Poland’s energy infrastructure was hit by co-ordinated cyber attacks in December. In a LinkedIn post, Mr Ellison warned that there was a strong possibility that CNI operators in the UK could fall victim to similar attacks in the near future, and should therefore take swift action to mitigate the risk.
Now, David Bean, Business Development Group Manager at Mitsubishi Electric Automation Systems Division, has added his voice to that of the NCSC, calling on providers to take swift action to safeguard their OT architectures to mitigate the risk.
“The NCSC’s warning is certainly a stark one, but not at all a surprising one, given the ever-evolving threat landscape that CNI organisations are operating in,” he said.
“We must now deal with the reality that the disruption brought by cyber attacks to everyday essential services, such as energy and water supply, is an ever-present threat, and one that will require decisive action if it is to be properly addressed.
“This will involve operators making sure that their OT estates are compliant with relevant industry standards, such as IEC 62443, which aims to enhance cyber security in industrial automation and control systems, and address the unique challenges experienced by OT environments. This is in addition to the EU’s NIS2 Directive, which focusses on critical sectors and requires organisations to implement robust security measures and reporting protocols.
“The best way for operators to ensure protection against attacks, and compliance with regulations, is by partnering with technology providers who offer services and solutions to help protect their asset base. In this way, we at Mitsubishi Electric are perfectly positioned to provide support to CNI providers, and can advise how to ensure compliance and safeguard their OT estates. Our industrial automation product portfolio, meanwhile, is compliant with IEC 62443-4-1, and our next-generation programmable logic controls are in adherence with IEC 62443-3-2.
“As such, we have both the expertise and solutions to help operators make sure they are properly prepared for the threats that lie ahead, and that disruption to critical national infrastructure can be greatly mitigated.”
For more information on Mitsubishi Electric’s range of solutions for CNI operators, visit https://gb.mitsubishielectric.com/en/
