Recent Ransomware attacks make headlines, but Eaton’s focus on cybersecurity is nothing new
May 12, 2021
Last week’s ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline – responsible for delivering 45 percent of the East Coast’s fuel supply – has thrust the unequivocal need for cybersecurity into the spotlight once again. The May 6 incident forced the pipeline to shut down, halting the transport of some 2.5 million barrels a day of diesel, petrol and jet fuel. Meanwhile, a week after a May 1 ransomware strike on San Diego-based Scripps Health – which treats a half-million patients annually through five hospitals and 19 outpatient facilities – multiple technical services remained down, including the EHR, website and patient portal.
The average cost of a ransomware attack on businesses is $133,000. Eaton can help with your cyber-security defense.
Attacks are on the rise
These headline-grabbing incidents are a grim reminder that it has never been more critical to properly safeguard systems against the risk of cybercrime. In 2020 alone, the prevalence of ransomware attacks in the U.S. skyrocketed by 109 percent, according to the 2020 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report. And critical power infrastructure is not immune; consider how attackers capitalized on a vulnerability in a Target HVAC unit in 2013 to steal data on 40 million debit and credit cards belonging to customers of the retail giant – underscoring the importance of protecting UPSs, power distribution and cooling systems against these determined threat actors.
Remote monitoring detects threats early
While today’s hyper-distributed IT environments have made cyber threats even more prevalent, the need to protect against them has been at the forefront of Eaton® products for several years now. It began with introducing the industry’s first UPS connectivity device to meet the UL 2900-1 cybersecurity standard, the Eaton Gigabit Network Card (NETWORK-M2), and continues with efforts such as providing built-in cybersecurity protection within the new Ferrups FX, a ruggedized UPS specially designed for industrial IoT applications such as the ones found in the highly demanding oil and gas market.
In addition, although Eaton Intelligent Power Manager (IPM) was primarily developed to monitor and manage UPSs, the software has proven to be a cost-effective, highly viable cyber protection solution for cybersecurity. Working with a UPS or PDU, IPM provides a unique way to automate common IT tasks and schedule air gaps to minimize the attack surface area of the infrastructure.
Increased focus on security
At Eaton, cybersecurity is not just about our products; it’s part of our culture. This commitment is evidenced by our Product Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, where experts work daily to discover new ways to help protect products and systems against cyberattack, evaluate products, provide internal training, and help customers deploy and maintain secure solutions. Additionally, Eaton introduced the first research and testing facility approved to participate in UL's Cybersecurity Client Lab Validation program in Pittsburgh, Penn., followed by a second lab – marking another industry first – in Pune, India. These accredited lab environments provide the global capability to test Eaton products with intelligence or embedded logic to key aspects of the UL 2900-1 Standard.
Leading the industry
Most recently, Eaton became the first company in the industry to receive dual product certifications under IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) and UL standards, with the Eaton's Gigabit Network Card and Industrial Gateway Card gaining certification under IEC 62443-4-2 to complement its existing UL 2900-1 accreditation.
If you are looking for another reason to promote Eaton solutions with your customers, cybersecurity should rank top-of-mind – especially considering that no other UPS manufacturer can offer products equivalent to ours. The headline-grabbing events of the past couple of weeks are yet another reminder that cyber threats are here to stay. Make sure your customers don’t become another daunting statistic; protect them with Eaton solutions.
Losing sleep over ransomware or other information security threats?
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