In an era of increasing digital connectivity, critical infrastructure faces unprecedented cybersecurity challenges.
The traditional approaches to authentication and identity management fall short when dealing with complex, heterogeneous environments that range from completely air-gapped systems to hybrid and cloud-connected networks.
Enterprise Security Weekly Host Adrian Sanabria and Axiad Chief Innovation Officer and Co-Founder Bassam Al-Khalidi discussed the challenges of credential management in critical infrastructure in a recent SC Media webcast.
Key points from the discussion:
- Identity proofing
- Secure authentication
Game changers
Two primary protocols emerge as game-changers: Certificate-Based Authentication (CBA) and FIDO2. These methods eliminate the vulnerabilities inherent in password-based systems by using cryptographic techniques that cannot be easily replicated or stolen. Certificate-based authentication, for instance, provides a robust method where users authenticate using hardware tokens and personal identification numbers (PINs).
The cryptographic operation happens on the hardware itself, making it virtually impossible for attackers to reproduce the authentication credentials.
The Department of Defense already uses this method to secure critical national infrastructure, demonstrating its effectiveness at scale. The concept of identity management has evolved beyond simply creating a single, unified identity. Organizations must now focus on creating an "identity mesh" that can correlate different identities across various systems, tracking and managing access risks in real-time.
This approach is crucial in environments with multiple legacy systems, mergers and acquisitions, and complex access requirements. Artificial intelligence presents both challenges and opportunities in this landscape. While AI can create more sophisticated phishing attacks, it can also be leveraged to correlate identity risks and detect anomalies across different systems.
Optionality is key
The future of authentication in critical infrastructure lies in providing optionality. Organizations need solutions that can:
Conclusion
As critical infrastructure continues its digital transformation, security cannot be an afterthought. The goal is to create a comprehensive approach that secures every identity, every device, and every access point – leaving no vulnerable gaps for potential attackers to exploit.
The journey to robust authentication is ongoing, but with advanced technologies like certificate-based authentication and continuous identity risk management, organizations can significantly enhance their cybersecurity posture.
