Nozomi, Schneider deliver security sensor embedded in RTUs

Nozomi Networks, a US-based provider of cybersecurity and operational visibility solutions for industrial control systems, and French multinational energy management and automation company Schneider Electric have announced what they described as the industry’s first security sensor that runs embedded in Schneider’s remote terminal units (RTUs). 

With Nozomi Arc Embedded in Schneider SCADAPack 47xi Smart RTUs, security and operations teams gain previously unavailable visibility at the control device layer of their industrial automation equipment and field assets as well as the ability to analyze and deter control device-level threats and malicious user activity without impacting current resources or disrupting mission-critical networks. As a result, organizations benefit from greater operational resilience and uptime, reduced cyber risk and better compliance, according to a media release.

“As cyber threats to the world’s energy resources rise, we’re working with Nozomi Networks and our customers in critical infrastructure to double down on effective defenses,” said Jay Abdallah, Vice President of Cybersecurity Solutions and Services at Schneider Electric. “Nozomi Arc Embedded in Schneider RTUs transforms remote terminal units into secure assets, giving operators the visibility they need to respond to threats before they can do harm.”

“We’re honored to team with Schneider Electric to bring Arc Embedded to their RTUs,” said Nozomi Networks Co-founder and CPO Andrea Carcano. “For more than eight years, our partnership with Schneider has allowed us to collaborate to find better ways to protect energy management and automation processes around the world. This latest effort with Arc Embedded extends security to and through industrial control systems, down to the highly remote field assets they manage, which are often left unmonitored and at greater risk.”

An RTU is an industrial device that collects, processes, and transmits data from sensors and actuators in remote or distributed locations such as rural water pumping stations, electrical substations in mountainous regions and more. They operate as a bridge between the field equipment and a central control system, enabling real-time monitoring and control of industrial processes.  

By directly embedding Nozomi Arc Embedded into Schneider RTUs, for the first time ever security and operations teams gain visibility into important data from within RTUs, and the field assets controlled by those RTUs, the media release said.