Legacy PLC Security: Protecting the Unpatchable Core
Outdated PLCs can’t be patched - but they can be protected. Explore virtual patching and containment strategies that secure your core.
OT Asset Visibility & CIP Mapping
That unknown device on your network isn't just clutter - it's an unmonitored backdoor waiting to be exploited. Complete asset visibility eliminates these hidden threats.
The Ghosts in Your Machine:
Eliminating the Security Blind Spots in Industrial Networks
Unknown Devices Represent Your Greatest Unmanaged Risk
Every undocumented asset on your network is a potential entry point for attackers seeking control.
Industrial networks evolve organically over years, with devices added during expansions, maintenance cycles, and technology upgrades. The result is often a sprawling ecosystem where 20-40% of connected devices are undocumented or improperly catalogued. These "ghost assets" create critical security gaps - unauthorized engineering workstations, forgotten vendor connections, and unpatched legacy controllers all represent potential breach points. Without comprehensive visibility, security measures become guesswork, and incident response transforms into a frantic search for basic information that should be immediately available.
Passive Monitoring Delivers Complete Visibility Without Operational Risk
True asset discovery happens by listening, not by scanning that could disrupt critical processes.
Active network scanning techniques used in IT environments can cripple industrial operations by overwhelming controllers with unexpected traffic or triggering fault conditions. Passive monitoring solutions from suppliers like Welotec solve this by analyzing network traffic without injecting any packets into the network. These systems connect to SPAN ports or network TAPs, observing all EtherNet/IP communications to build a complete inventory of controllers, HMIs, drives, and other devices. This approach provides comprehensive visibility while maintaining the deterministic performance required for control systems, making it the only safe method for continuous asset discovery in operational environments.
CIP Protocol Analysis Reveals the True Nature of Device Communications
Understanding which controllers communicate with which HMIs reveals your actual operational dependencies.
Basic IP address discovery provides only superficial visibility. True understanding comes from analyzing the Common Industrial Protocol conversations happening across your network. Advanced monitoring tools decode CIP packets to identify which controllers are producing I/O data, which devices are consuming it, and what programming connections exist between engineering stations and control hardware. This protocol-aware analysis reveals the actual communication patterns that keep your operations running, enabling security measures that protect these essential data flows while blocking unauthorized communications.
Industrial Fibre Optics Provide Strategic Visibility Collection Points
Fibre network segments naturally create ideal locations for comprehensive traffic monitoring.
The deployment of industrial fibre optics creates natural aggregation points where visibility solutions can be implemented most effectively. Fibre optic network TAPs from suppliers like ATOP can be inserted into critical backbone links without affecting network performance or reliability. These passive optical splitters provide complete copies of all traffic for analysis while maintaining the inherent security benefits of fibre. By strategically placing monitoring points at fibre aggregation locations, organizations gain comprehensive visibility across multiple network segments from centralized analysis platforms, maximizing coverage while minimizing infrastructure investment.
Building a Living Inventory That Updates in Real-Time
Static spreadsheets become outdated the moment they're created - automated discovery maintains accuracy.
Traditional asset inventories maintained manually in spreadsheets or CMDB systems are perpetually outdated and incomplete. Modern asset visibility platforms automatically detect new devices as they connect to the network, track configuration changes in real-time, and alert when unauthorized modifications occur. This living inventory includes detailed device information - manufacturer, model, firmware version, serial number, and network relationships - creating a single source of truth for operations, maintenance, and security teams. The result is always-current information that supports everything from patch management to incident investigation.
Detecting Rogue Devices and Unauthorized Connections Immediately
The moment an unknown device connects, your security team should know - not discover it during a breach investigation.
Continuous asset monitoring enables immediate detection of unauthorized devices attempting to connect to your network. When a visibility platform understands your normal device population, it can instantly flag engineering laptops, wireless access points, or unauthorized controllers that appear without proper authorization. Solutions integrated with Westermo industrial switches can automatically quarantine suspicious devices by disabling switch ports, preventing potential threats from establishing network presence. This proactive detection capability transforms your network from a passive infrastructure into an active defense system that resists unauthorized access attempts.
Vulnerability Management Becomes Targeted and Effective
You cannot patch devices you don't know exist—visibility turns vulnerability management from guesswork to precision.
Comprehensive asset visibility enables targeted vulnerability management by identifying exactly which devices require specific patches or mitigations. When a new vulnerability is announced for a particular controller model or firmware version, visibility platforms can immediately identify affected devices across the entire operation. This precision eliminates the dangerous practice of "patch and pray" while ensuring that limited maintenance windows are used efficiently. The combination of detailed asset information and vulnerability intelligence allows organizations to prioritize remediation efforts based on actual risk rather than speculation.
Secure Remote Access Integration Maintains Visibility During Support
Vendor connections should not create temporary blind spots in your security monitoring.
Third-party remote access often introduces unmonitored connections that bypass existing visibility controls. Secure access solutions from suppliers like Secomea integrate with asset visibility platforms, ensuring that vendor devices are properly identified and monitored during support sessions. These systems can provide detailed session information - which vendor connected, what devices they accessed, and what actions they performed - maintaining complete visibility even during external support activities. This integration closes a critical visibility gap that attackers frequently exploit to gain undetected network access.
Incident Response Accelerates with Immediate Context
During a security incident, time spent identifying affected devices is time the attacker uses to expand their access.
When a security incident occurs, comprehensive asset visibility provides immediate context that accelerates response efforts. Security teams can quickly identify all devices communicating with a compromised system, understand what normal communications should look like, and rapidly contain the incident by isolating affected assets. This detailed understanding of network relationships means responders spend their time containing threats rather than mapping the environment under pressure. The difference between minutes and hours in incident containment often determines whether an incident remains limited or becomes a catastrophic breach.
Compliance and Audit Reporting Becomes Automated
Generating accurate asset inventories for audits transforms from a multi-week effort to a single-click operation.
Regulatory frameworks and security standards increasingly mandate comprehensive asset management as a foundational control. Automated asset visibility platforms eliminate the manual effort required to maintain compliance with these requirements. Detailed reports showing complete device inventories, network diagrams, and communication relationships can be generated automatically for audit purposes. This automation not only reduces administrative overhead but also improves accuracy, ensuring that compliance documentation reflects the actual operational environment rather than an idealized version maintained in spreadsheets.
Answered - Some Frequently Asked Questions
Advanced passive monitoring systems maintain device records for extended periods, recognizing returning devices even after long intervals. They also detect presence through various network mechanisms like ARP requests and DHCP renewals that occur even for quiet devices.
Yes, through distributed monitoring architectures. Multiple collection points can be deployed in different network zones, with data aggregated to a central visibility platform. This approach maintains segmentation while providing comprehensive cross-network visibility.
Modern systems achieve over 95% accuracy by combining multiple identification techniques—MAC address vendor codes, DHCP fingerprints, protocol behavior analysis, and CIP device identification messages provide overlapping verification.
Basic visibility can be achieved within days by monitoring key network aggregation points. Comprehensive coverage across all network segments typically takes 4-8 weeks, depending on network complexity and distribution.
Asset visibility platforms typically provide REST API interfaces and syslog export capabilities for integration with SIEM systems, vulnerability management platforms, and IT service management tools, creating a unified security ecosystem.
Yes, by monitoring CIP programming sessions and comparing them against authorized engineering workstations and maintenance windows. Unexpected programming activity triggers immediate alerts for investigation.
Strategic deployment of industrial fibre optics with optical TAPs or switch SPAN ports provides the foundation. Industrial switches from suppliers like Westermo with advanced monitoring capabilities enhance visibility without compromising network performance.
From Blind Spots to Complete Awareness
The journey from unknown networks to complete asset visibility transforms industrial security from reactive guessing to proactive management. When you can see every device, understand every communication relationship, and detect every change in real-time, you eliminate the hidden vulnerabilities that attackers exploit.
True security begins with knowledge - you cannot protect what you cannot see. Comprehensive asset visibility provides the foundational understanding that enables all other security controls to function effectively.
Ready to eliminate blind spots and achieve complete OT asset visibility?
Contact a Throughput visibility specialist for a network assessment and receive our Asset Visibility Implementation Framework.
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Don't let unknown devices threaten your operations. Transform blind spots into visible, managed assets.
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