Managing Security Operations in a Complex Environment

Customer Perspectives

Managing bulk power transmission across a large country involves complex logistical challenges. For example, grid operators need to be able to monitor and maintain an extensive, geographically dispersed network of control stations and substations to ensure maximum uptime while keeping costs under control.

Operators must also ensure the cybersecurity of their distributed networks. As a critical national infrastructure, power grid operators are a prime target for bad actors. With the rise of AI, the range of threats they face is growing in sophistication and frequency.

However, the ongoing trend toward IT/OT convergence makes implementing, managing, and optimizing cybersecurity particularly challenging. By converging IT and OT, grid operators can leverage real-time data from operations technology within IT systems. This integration allows for better decision-making, optimized energy distribution, predictive maintenance, and more. However, this approach can also expose OT systems to cyber risks, as they have historically been isolated from the IT network and external threats.

Looking to overcome these challenges, a prominent overseas national grid operator launched a technology refresh program for its network and security operations. Through the refresh, the operator aimed to enable centralized and remote management for its main, backup, and regional control centers and hundreds of substations.

Unifying IT/OT Threat Protection on Fortinet

Following a competitive selection process, the operator chose to build its new capability on the Fortinet Security Fabric, leveraging a Secure Networking solution centered on FortiGate Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) for multilayer protection, network segmentation, increased visibility, and enhanced threat analytics.

The customer also deployed FortiGuard AI-Powered Security Services across its IT/OT infrastructure. Integrated with the Fortinet Security Fabric, these services enable integrated intrusion prevention system (IPS), antivirus, anti-malware, and deep packet inspection services to combat advanced persistent threats (APTs)-an attack vector commonly used to gain access to power grids through phishing emails, zero-day attacks, and customized malware.

The FortiGuard OT Security Service provides OT-specific coverage, including inspecting traffic for protocols such as IEC60870-5-104, Inter-Control Center Communications Protocol, and supervisory control and data acquisition systems. The customer also integrated the Fortinet FortiSandbox solution into its IT/OT infrastructure, helping it detect and isolate potential threats in real time.

Thanks to Fortinet's expanded security coverage, the customer can now detect and mitigate a broader range of threats, including sophisticated evasive attacks. The grid operator can monitor its network, endpoints, and user behavior in real-time to rapidly identify potential threats and indicators of compromise and take appropriate action.

Converging IT/OT Security Operations

The customer also worked with Fortinet to enhance its security operations center (SOC) and network operations center (NOC) capabilities, which improved the security of its IT/OT applications and increased protection against zero-day threats.

The Fortinet Security Fabric implementation supports a high-availability security operations (SecOps) solution built around FortiSIEM security information event management threat intelligence as well as real-time detection capabilities, centralized security analytics, and end-to-end security posture awareness delivered through FortiAnalyzer.

The entire solution is managed through a single, centralized platform and dashboard for simplified management and reporting. It converges security across the IT and OT domains and provides a highly scalable architecture that delivers a rapid return on investment. Moreover, the security operations solution integrates seamlessly with the customer's existing technology for a smooth deployment.

Power grid operators recognize that it's only a matter of time before bad actors threaten their networks. However, as this national operator knows, modern SecOps systems that converge and extend IT and OT security can make the attackers' job very difficult. By deploying the Fortinet Security Fabric, this customer has enabled the real-time monitoring of its traffic, endpoints, and users for an always-on threat response that helps keep its operations running.

Learn more about how Fortinet provides zero-day protection for OT environments.