Nozomi Networks and Mitsubishi release PLC-integrated security sensor

Nozomi Networks has announced an OT and IoT security sensor that runs embedded in Mitsubishi Electric PLCs. Called Arc Embedded, the company says it will allow security and operations teams to gain previously unavailable visibility at the process level of their industrial automation equipment and field assets as well as the ability to analyse and deter process level threats and malicious user activity without impacting current resources or disrupting mission-critical networks.

“We’re honoured to partner with innovator and industry leader Mitsubishi Electric to bring Arc Embedded to their PLCs,” said Nozomi Networks co-founder and CPO Andrea Carcano. “Arc Embedded can transform how CISOs manage and protect critical infrastructure, extending security to and through industrial control systems, down to the field assets they manage.

“Mitsubishi Electric is the perfect partner for this initiative, thanks to its passion for innovation and an unmatched understanding of automation,” Carcano continued. “Through our joint work, customers in a variety of industries can feel confident deploying Arc Embedded in Mitsubishi Electric PLCs, strengthening security all the way to the physical process.”

“Solutions that provide robust OT security and continuous system operation are a priority in Mitsubishi Electric’s ongoing digital transformation,” said Kunihiko Kaga, Mitsubishi Electric’s Representative Executive Officer and Industry & Mobility Business Area Owner. “Combining Mitsubishi Electric’s manufacturing-control and information-system security technologies with Nozomi Networks’ visualisation and intrusion-detection technologies, allows us both to contribute to a safer, more secure and more sustainable society.”

The PLC market is expected to reach $22 billion by 2030 as more industries embrace and expand their use of automation, driving the need for better control-level cybersecurity. Recent CISA advisories on attempted PLC exploits are a harsh reminder that a related attack could shut down production, or cause a public safety crisis.

Nozomi Networks says that Arc Embedded transforms existing industrial control systems into secure-by-design assets, offering a fully integrated security layer from an independent vendor that delivers robust, comprehensive protection for today’s in-production systems.

Arc Embedded on Mitsubishi Electric PLCs is said to deliver:

• Real-time visibility and security from the network endpoint to the manufacturing floor to more accurately detect PLC anomalies and detect unauthorised access.
• AI-powered protection to provide continuous monitoring for real-time learning, faster responses to security incidents and more robust detection of known and unknown vulnerabilities.
• Visibility and protection for devices connected to the PLC backplane to understand module health and status, normal and abnormal communications patterns, all configuration changes, and firmware integrity.
   

Arc Embedded is available for Mitsubishi Electric iQ-R series PLCs via a subscription-based model, available from Mitsubishi Electric, Nozomi Networks and Nozomi Networks channel partners.

Image credit: iStock.com/Traitov