Caterpillar Energy Solutions Cyber Security: Effectively protect your plant against unauthorized access
- Virtual private network (VPN) as a modern technology for encrypted data transmission and secure authentication
- Defense in depth to protect your power plant and Cat/MWM gas engines against network attacks
- Role-based access controls with two-factor authentication
- Regular proactive maintenance
- Use of modern security hardware, regular software updates included
- Easy retrofitting of secure remote maintenance access for existing plants with a remote plant gateway (TPEM and TEM)
Why should I protect my plant against digital threats?
Factors such as the advancing digitization in the energy industry and the increased use of cyber-physical systems are associated with a higher risk of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure including cogeneration power plants. The logging and processing of operating data as well as the intervention in the operational process make industrial energy plants with gas engines and power generator sets a potential target for cyberattacks. Such attacks can cause considerable disruptions and interrupt operations.
To ensure the security and operation of your cogeneration power plant, you should implement effective cybers ecurity measures against unauthorized access, malware, and outages. Secure data encryption protects energy plants and their sensitive data against unauthorized access and manipulation, which could result in loss of data or operational interruptions. In view of the great importance of protecting the digital data of your cogeneration power plant, Caterpillar Energy Solutions has developed its Digital Solutions as a secure system for the maintenance and monitoring of your plant.
What security measures does Caterpillar Energy Solutions provide for the remote maintenance and monitoring of my cogeneration power plant?
With its Digital Solutions, Caterpillar Energy Solutions offers real-time monitoring of your energy generation plant and remote access to the plant in real time. Caterpillar Energy Solutions uses encryption and authentication technologies with a virtual private network (VPN) gateway on the plant side—the remote plant gateway (RPG)—to ensure secure remote maintenance and monitoring of your cogeneration power plant. The RPG router automatically establishes a VPN connection to the remote maintenance server, the rendezvous server. Thus, no incoming connections need to be made to the customer and plant network. Remote access is only permitted if it is initiated by an activated client/user on the server. This ensures that data only flows in the direction of the protected servers and that the plant’s network is always in a secure zone. By means of two-factor authentication for role-based access and strict separation (segmentation) of machine networks using network filter technologies (firewall), the system is protected against unauthorized access. Regular maintenance and software updates as well as the use of modern security hardware ensure ongoing data security. The general security of the remote system is checked continually by means of regular security tests.
Digital Solutions: The Digital Solutions enable real-time monitoring and operation of cogeneration power plants. In this way, technical problems can be identified and eliminated at an early stage, thereby preventing potential outages.
Services: Plant operators benefit from a remote access service that comprises regular maintenance and software updates in order to maintain data security.
Plant: Since the data only flows in the direction of the protected servers, the plant’s network always remains in the secure zone.
Remote plant gateway (RPG): The encryption is performed by the RPG that automatically establishes a VPN connection to the Caterpillar Energy Solutions remote maintenance server.
Internet: The plant data are transmitted digitally to the authorized users via secure encrypted connections.
Users: By means of two-factor user authentication for role-based access and strict separation (segmentation) of machine networks using network filter technologies (firewall), the system is protected against unauthorized access.
What data are transmitted to Caterpillar Energy Solutions during the maintenance and monitoring of my cogeneration power plant?
For remote maintenance and monitoring, only data that are necessary for the operation are transmitted, e.g. alerts and telemetry data from the Cat or MWM plant. The user data are transmitted to the server and processed there in order to ensure access protection through authentication on the servers. A data privacy agreement concluded between Caterpillar Energy Solutions and the plant operator forms the legal basis.
How can I benefit from the Caterpillar Energy Solutions Digital Solutions?
Caterpillar Energy Solutions enables secure one-stop remote access to and monitoring of your cogeneration power plant around the globe on a 24/7 basis. Thanks to the standardized security and access concept with two-factor authentication and VPN, you are well protected against cyberattacks. Regular maintenance and software updates ensure that the cyber security of your Cat or MWM plant always remains up to date. Please feel free to contact the Caterpillar Energy Solutions Cyber Security team if you have any questions concerning data security or the integration in your environment. Thanks to the in-house training they receive, distributors of the MWM brand are skilled in the secure handling of sensitive digital data.
Can I retrofit my existing plant with Caterpillar Energy Solutions Digital Solutions?
Yes. For old and existing plants with a Cat or MWM engine, Caterpillar Energy Solutions offers a retrofit kit that enables use of the Digital Solutions for secure remote access to and monitoring of your plant.
I would like to protect my cogeneration power plant, whom can I contact?
If you have any questions about cyber security or retrofitting your Cat and MWM plant with Digital Solutions by Caterpillar Energy Solutions, please feel free to get in touch with your competent Caterpillar Energy Solutions contact.