Mocana among members of global cyber security alliance for operational technology

/EIN News/ -- SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 22, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cyber-attacks on critical and industrial infrastructure are on the rise, impacting operational reliability and business risk across all industries, including, utilities, manufacturing and oil and gas. Threats to operational technology (OT) – the hardware and software dedicated to monitoring and controlling physical devices such as valves, pumps, etc.  – can disrupt operations and negatively impact productivity, cause ecological damage, and compromise human safety. To help mitigate this risk, Mocana is taking a leading role in today's launch of a new global alliance focused on cyber security. The Operational Technology Cyber Security Alliance (OTCSA) was established to help companies address the OT security challenges that continue to put operations, and consequently, business at risk.

In addition to Mocana, industry leaders ABB, Check Point Software, BlackBerry Cylance, Forescout, Fortinet, Microsoft, NCC Group, Qualys, SCADAFence, Splunk and Wärtsilä have partnered to establish the OTCSA.

Mocana CTO, Dean Weber, said: "We are in a pivotal moment for critical infrastructure protection. As the nature of the threats we face becomes increasingly sophisticated, the OTCSA will provide an essential forum to bring together those who protect operational technology – like Mocana – and those who own and deploy it. Through listening to each other, we believe the entire OT sector can come together to make the world a safer place."

The OTCSA mission is five-fold:

• Strengthen cyber-physical risk posture of OT environments and interfaces for OT/IT interconnectivity
• Guide OT operators on how to protect their OT infrastructure based on a risk management process and reference architectures/designs which are demonstrably compliant with regulations and international standards, such as IEC 62443, NERC CIP and NIST 800-53
• Guide OT suppliers on secure OT system architectures, relevant interfaces and security functionalities   
• Support the procurement, development, installation, operation, maintenance, and implementation of a safer, more secure critical infrastructure
• Accelerate the time to adopt safer, more secure critical infrastructures

Until now, there has been no industry group focused on improving cyber risk posture by providing tangible architectural, implementation, and process guidelines to OT operators so that they can navigate necessary changes, upgrades and integrations to evolving industry standards and regulations. These robust security guidelines will cover the entire lifecycle - procurement, development, deployment, installation, operation, maintenance and decommission- and address aspects related to people, process, and technology.

OTCSA promotes collaboration amongst leading IT and OT companies, thought leaders in the cyber security community, and vendors and OT operators from a variety of industries. Membership is open to any company that operates critical infrastructure or general OT systems to run its business (OT operators) as well as companies providing IT and OT solutions (solution providers).

To learn more about the OTCSA or becoming a member, visit: https://www.otcsalliance.org
To learn more about Mocana, visit https://www.mocana.com

Operational Technology Cyber Security Alliance (OTCSA) is a group of global industry-leading organizations focused on providing operational technology (OT) operators with resources and guidance to mitigate their cyber risk in an evolving world. Founded in 2019, OTCSA is the first group of its kind to architect a technical and organizational framework – the who, what and how – for safe and secure OT. Membership is open to all OT operators and IT/OT solution providers. Current members include ABB, Check Point Software, BlackBerry Cylance, Forescout, Fortinet, Microsoft, Mocana, NCC Group, Qualys, SCADAFence, Splunk and Wärtsilä.

Contact: 
James Barbour
(202) 340-0465

¹Forrester consulting study commissioned and published by Fortinet, May 2018

James.Barbour@hkstrategies.com