A leading thermal power plant in Southeast Asia serves as a cornerstone of the region’s energy infrastructure, contributing 1,200 MW to the national grid and supporting economic development. Operated by a major electricity provider, the plant utilizes advanced supercritical coal technology to generate power efficiently while minimizing environmental impacts.
However, facilities like this face an ever-growing cyber threat landscape. In Southeast Asia, reports indicate a 300% increase in cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure between 2019 and 2023, with energy facilities being among the most targeted. Globally, over 56% of power plants have experienced cyber incidents in the last three years, highlighting the pressing need for robust cybersecurity measures to guard against ransomware, malware, and zero-day threats.
Recognizing the increasing risks to its IT and OT systems, the plant sought a comprehensive solution to safeguard its operations from both external and internal cyber threats while maintaining compliance with stringent national and international standards. MetaDefender NetWall was the ideal solution to safeguard this company’s network environments, offering secure segregation between critical IT and OT domains. A plant representative explained, "We chose OPSWAT’s NetWall for its outstanding advantages," including:
- Security Gateway Architecture enforces one-way data transmission, allowing data flow from OT to IT but blocking any reverse data path, ensuring OT network protection even if the IT network is compromised.
- Secure Data Replication Mechanism that maintains data integrity and reliability across domains.
- Flexible Integration to seamlessly adapt with the plant’s existing industrial control systems without altering network infrastructure.
- User-Friendly Management Interface for centralized monitoring, ease-of-use, and rapid deployment.
- Trusted Support from OPSWAT, known for product quality and reliable customer assistance.
NetWall has helped us enhance work efficiency, simplify regulatory compliance, and reduce operational risks—ultimately helping to protect our operations and reputation.
Plant Representative
Protecting Critical Infrastructure from Emerging Threats
In recent years, this power company has encountered complex security threats typical of critical national infrastructures, including external attacks and internal risks that impact its IT, OT, and SCADA networks. The plant's representatives shared, "As a national critical infrastructure, we face a range of increasingly complex cybersecurity challenges." These include:
- External Threats such as malware, ransomware, phishing, DDoS attacks, and zero-day exploits.
- Internal Risks from potential human error or lack of cybersecurity awareness, with some employees at risk of inadvertently downloading malware or exposing sensitive information.
- Cross-Domain Security Concerns from the need to secure segmented IT and OT networks to prevent IT-based attacks from reaching operational systems.
- Regulatory Pressures to comply with strict cybersecurity mandates for energy providers.
Previous incidents—such as malware infiltrating the IT network and attempted unauthorized access to the SCADA system—highlighted the need for advanced cross-domain security, prompting the adoption of OPSWAT’s MetaDefender NetWall Unidirectional Security Gateway.
Enhanced Security, Enhanced Safety
Since implementing MetaDefender NetWall, the company has noticeably strengthened its cybersecurity posture, reporting several notable improvements:
- Prevention of Malware Spread by blocking potential threats from spreading from IT to OT, ensuring uninterrupted control system operations.
- Defense Against DDoS Attacks targeting the OT network, keeping essential control systems available and responsive.
- Enhanced Access Control with precise data flow management, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
A representative from the company shared, "NetWall has helped us enhance work efficiency, simplify regulatory compliance, and reduce operational risks—ultimately helping to protect our operations and reputation."
Operational and Compliance Improvements
The deployment of MetaDefender Netwall has also driven workflow efficiency and compliance. The solution streamlines cross domain data management, easing the burden on IT staff, and aligns with sector-specific regulations, including IEC 62443 standards and requirements from the Vietnam Electricity Corporation.
Future Outlook and Partnership
Looking ahead, the company plans to expand its use of OPSWAT solutions, exploring further applications for MetaDefender Kiosk to manage USB and peripheral device security, MetaDefender Core for file scanning, and more of OPSWAT’s Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) technology to fortify operational defenses. "OPSWAT is a key strategic partner for our cybersecurity future," they noted.
Learn how OPSWAT can protect your critical infrastructure—talk to an expert.
