Schneider Electric and Claroty partner to address cybersecurity challenges

Claroty and Schneider Electric have announced that they are partnering to address safety and cybersecurity challenges in industrial infrastructure. Under the terms of the agreement, Claroty will market its real-time OT/ICS network monitoring and detection solution to Schneider Electric’s customers through the company’s Collaborative Automation Partner Program (CAPP).

The Claroty platform proactively protects industrial control systems and continuously monitors industrial networks for cyber threats. With secure remote access, asset owners can employ policies to control remote employee and third-party access to critical systems, and record the sessions. Continuous threat detection creates a detailed inventory of industrial network assets, identifies misconfigurations, monitors traffic between assets, and finds anomalies that may indicate the presence of a malicious actor. Context-rich alerts provide plant and security personnel with actionable insights for efficient investigation, response and recovery.

This partnership adds a key component to Schneider Electric’s end-to-end cybersecurity offerings by protecting its connected products and edge control offerings within the company’s EcoStruxure architecture. EcoStruxure is Schneider Electric’s IoT-enabled, open and interoperable system architecture and platform.

“At Schneider Electric, we recognise the urgent need to assist our customers in enhancing their safety and cybersecurity programs,” said David Doggett, senior director cybersecurity, Industry Business, Schneider Electric. “One way we are addressing this need is through partnering with Claroty to provide real-time network monitoring and anomaly detection.”

Schneider Electric and Claroty have conducted rigorous testing to validate solution interoperability. Claroty is a key partner for network security monitoring systems within CAPP. CAPP enables Schneider Electric to offer complete business solutions by integrating innovative technologies developed by its partner ecosystem into its own offerings.

“Passive network intrusion detection techniques are critical for applications where system availability is paramount,” continued Doggett. “Claroty’s platform can strengthen solutions against known cyber attacks that have bypassed existing boundary protections. The technology can also alert network operators about novel attack vectors or attacks initiated by rogue insiders using existing tools and credentials.”

A key characteristic of the Claroty platform is its ability to explore the deepest level of industrial network protocols without adversely impacting the system. This enables end users to safely identify anomalies while protecting complex and sensitive industrial networks. Traditional IT security software often uses active queries or requires a footprint on the network, which can ultimately disrupt operations. However, the Claroty platform uses a passive-monitoring approach to safely inspect traffic without the risk of disruption.

“We have set off on a mission to bring rapid and long overdue change to the cybersecurity of industrial control networks,” said Amir Zilberstein, CEOfficer, Claroty. “We recognise that this complex challenge is best addressed in a unified and robust fashion — where security vendors such as Claroty work hand in hand with leading equipment manufacturers. Partnering with Schneider Electric and delivering our solutions within its comprehensive approach to cybersecurity through its EcoStruxure architecture will help drive the broadest reach and most immediate impact to industrial companies.”