Nozomi Networks has unveiled a security sensor that runs embedded in Schneider Electric’s remote terminal units (RTUs).
RTUs are industrial devices that collect, process and transmit data from sensors and actuators in remote or distributed locations, such as rural water pumping stations, electrical substations in mountainous regions and more.
They operate as a bridge between the field equipment and a central control system, enabling real-time monitoring and control of industrial processes.
In the case of the latest unveiling, the Nozomi Arc Embedded has been used within Schneider SCADAPack 47xi Smart RTUs. Those RTUs are widely used across oil and gas assets, as well as other critical infrastructure sectors.
Nozomi says that the embedded technology allows security and operations teams to gain previously unavailable visibility at the control device layer of their automation equipment and field assets.
Additionally, it can analyse and deter control device-level threats and malicious user activity without disrupting mission-critical networks.
Nozomi claims that directly inserting Nozomi Arc Embedded into Schneider RTUs facilitates updates to the RTU endpoint status, including software and hardware inventory, vulnerability details and resource utilisation.
Arc Embedded reportedly extracts process variable data directly from the RTU, enabling visibility into physical processes and device state without requiring external polling protocols.
It also detects malicious and suspicious operational actions, like USB or SD card connections/removals, time-setting manipulation, changes to control logic and firmware, and mechanical manipulations.
“This latest effort with Arc Embedded extends security to and through industrial control systems, down to the highly remote field assets they manage, which are often left unmonitored and at greater risk,” Nozomi Networks Co-founder and Chief Product Officer Andrea Carcano says.
Arc Embedded is available for Schneider via a subscription-based model. It is available from Schneider Electric, Nozomi Networks and a global network of Nozomi’s channel partners.
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