End-of-Life and End-of-Protection
When the point solutions organizations rely heavily upon become obsolete (or in this case are discontinued) they can face immediate and often severe risks to their flow of business. Without critical patches, cybersecurity solutions cannot stay ahead of new and emerging threats—and that leaves the organization using them vulnerable. When this North American petrochemical company needed to replace their existing firewall solution, they knew that moving quickly was essential.
With their firewalls reaching EOL, this put the air gap between IT and OT environments at immediate risk, leaving the organization with critical vulnerabilities to consider.
- Loss of Security Controls – Without a replacement, refineries risked unauthorized access to critical OT data.
- Operational Disruptions – A lack of secure data transfer would slow down decision-making, affecting production and compliance reporting.
- Increased Cyber Risk – Firewalls require frequent patching to plug vulnerabilities; failing to maintain updates could expose refinery networks to ransomware, zero-day exploits, and remote access attacks.
- Financial Impact – Downtime caused by an insecure or ineffective replacement solution could result in millions of dollars in lost revenue.
With our air gap potentially left vulnerable we knew we had to move quickly, but not at risk of choosing a replacement solution that wasn’t the right fit for us.
Out with Firewall, In with Diode
After evaluating multiple options, the company selected OPSWAT’s MetaDefender Optical Diodes (Fend XE15) to replace the EOL firewalls. Unlike firewalls, which rely on software rules and require updates, data diodes enforce security at the hardware level, allowing only one-way data flow and preventing any potential inbound threats from reaching refinery control systems. A significant upgrade over a firewall alone, the Fend diode came with additional benefits outside of the hardware-enforced data flow.
- Seamless Integration – The Fend XE15 diodes were designed to directly replace firewalls with minimal reconfiguration.
- Zero Maintenance Security – By eliminating software-based protections, the diodes removed the need for constant patching.
- Scalability – The diodes are compact, rugged, and cost-effective enough to be deployed across all refinery locations.
The peace of mind knowing that we have the uncompromising security of a data diode protecting our OT network from threats allows us to focus on our business and frees up resources.
Key Results
Regulatory Compliance
Secure, one-way data transfer ensures that refinery process data is accurately reported for safety and environmental regulations.
Stronger Cyber Resilience
Eliminating attack vectors associated with bidirectional communication reduces exposure to APTs (advanced persistent threats), malware, and insider threats.
Operational Efficiency
Uninterrupted data transfer allows real-time monitoring of refinery performance, preventing costly production
Long-Term Stability
The company no longer worries about discontinuation or future patching requirements.
Securing Today’s Critical Environments from Tomorrow’s Threats
With MetaDefender Fend data diodes now in place, the company has secured its refinery operations against cyberthreats while reducing long-term security and maintenance costs. This data transfer strategy ensures continued compliance, uptime, and business continuity for decades to come.
Are you ready to put MetaDefender Optical Diode between your essential environments and the advanced attacks that threaten them? Talk to an expert today to learn why OPSWAT is trusted globally to defend what’s critical.
