Over the last quarter, cyber-attacks similar to the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack have become more prevalent and more sophisticated. With the increase in control system attacks targeting the Oil and Gas Industry, the addition of a Data Historian would quickly improve operators’ cybersecurity posture by limiting direct access to SCADA control systems.
For most users, access to a SCADA control system is not necessary, while access to the data it provides is essential. Traditionally users have been provided access to an entire SCADA system while limiting the control portion with basic permission settings. IT teams are leveraging the eLynx Data Historian to separate and isolate the SCADA control system from simple data access. By significantly limiting the number of users directly accessing a SCADA system, operators reduce points of vulnerability and often costly user licenses.
Legacy SCADA systems have relied primarily on simple passwords as the user authentication method, creating a serious threat to critical infrastructure. As hackers' methods evolve, so should the method for users to gain access to any system. eLynx offers SSO, MFA, and password complexity to protect user logins and will work with your IT group to define what combination suits your organization's security needs.
According to a cybersecurity consultant, the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack was carried out with credentials from a user account that was no longer active. Regular and frequent user audits can help eliminate unnecessary and vulnerable access to control systems. With eLynx, administrators can easily access user activity audits to identify and disable those inactive users.
eLynx employs end to end data encryption and data redundancy. As a cloud solution, primary and secondary copies are automatically created ensuring you will never lose any data. In addition, eLynx employs redundant data networks and redundant data centers to increase data security, service reliability, and minimize potential downtime.
The same redundant mindset has been applied to safeguard voice callouts and email and text notifications. In the event of any type of outage, users are provided complete transparency regarding potential issues that may affect operations via the eLynx application status page.
eLynx recently completed a thousand well Data Historian setup in two weeks. As a cloud application, the eLynx Historian takes far less time and resources to stand up when compared to traditional on prem Data Historians. With eLynx’s canned templates and visualizations, built specifically for oil and gas producers and pipelines, operators can benefit from their Data Historian in a matter of weeks.
The eLynx Data Historian can retrieve data from most major SCADA systems and polling engines including eLynx SCADA, Cygnet, Wonderware, Ignition, ClearSCADA, Kepware, and AutoSol ACM. Data is captured from the SCADA system into the eLynx Historian where users can have read-only access to data eliminating their need for direct access to the SCADA control system.
The eLynx Data Historian offers unlimited users and provides each person with the flexibility to consume and analyze data in the way that best suits their needs. Users can take advantage of canned visualizations, graphs, and reports or create their own. Without even logging into the system, data can be accessed by taking advantage of scheduled reports or by leveraging the Excel Add-In tool.
eLynx Data Historian can offer users additional context to data by integrating other key systems via the eLynx API. With a more complete data set, users can identify, prioritize, and solve operational issues faster. With more data available to users in a single application, IT & OT teams can work to reduce software licensing costs and shift focus to higher value projects.
Book a session today with one of our team members or contact us at 877-643-5969