Security Features
mCore® Security Features
mCore was designed with a defense in depth approach to security and contains multiple layers of device security to mitigate attacks: High Assurance Boot (HAB), secure identity via X.509 certificate support, and secure socket communications using SSL/TLS connections. One of the most common ways attackers compromise a PLC or control network is to implant malicious firmware on to devices on a network. High Assurance Boot (HAB) uses cryptographic signatures secured in a trusted platform module (TPM) to guarantee that only firmware signed by Monico can run on mCore hardware. This prevents attackers or foreign software from executing malicious code on the mCore and thereby compromising your network.
This breakthrough gateway also utilizes enterprise grade identity technology via X.509 security certificates which provide authentication and the basis for transferring sensitive information. Monico takes certificate authentication to the next level by providing bi-directional authentication on an individual device-by-device basis. mCore not only ensures that data is being sent securely to a fixed endpoint, but it requires the endpoint to validate whether the data is coming from an authorized mCore device. The data can be signed and cryptographically proven to have come from a verifiable source. This technology’s exceptionally strong authentication process is heavily relied upon by banks, the US Government, and the Federal Reserve to transfer funds and highly sensitive information.
The final layer of mCore’s defense in depth strategy uses SSL/TLS encryption sockets for all communications off the machine. These encryption sockets are available for our current protocols, minus Modbus TCP. Most industrial protocols are unsecure by nature; an attacker can sit on a network to watch data flow and will be able to fully access the information being communicated by these standard protocols. User and machine data, such as authentication credentials, datalink payload, or network architecture, can easily be intercepted by an attacker. While mCore cannot fix older protocols whenever a remote connection is established to your asset, it uses SSL/TLS sockets to encrypt the entire channel and make it virtually unreadable by anyone intercepting the traffic. These measures are applied to all of mCore’s remote capabilities, including system updates, remote data transfer, and real-time data applications.
