Industrial Security: CIFS (Common Internet File System)
Written by Amandeep Yashpal, Product Specialist – Cyber Security & Networks – UAE
The Common Internet File System (CIFS) is the standard way that computer users share files across corporate intranets and the Internet. An enhanced version of the Microsoft open, cross-platform Server Message Block (SMB) protocol, CIFS is a native file-sharing protocol in Windows 2000.
In operational environment, the life of an appliance is three to four years and it is easy to replace this appliance with a new appliance laced with advance technology. However, in an industrial environment, the life of a digital asset is 15 to 20 years and it’s a challenging job to always make any change in the critical environment.
In manifold industries, computer with window XP and older operating systems are in operation while Microsoft ended support for Window XP on April 8, 2014. Afterwards, Microsoft did not provide any security patch and other kind of support for the Window XP operating system. Systems with an old operating system without updates are more vulnerable to attacks and hence increase the attack surface.
To overcome this problem, secure the vulnerable system and protect it from any malicious attack, Phoenix Contact came up with mGuard CIFS Integrity Monitoring Solution, which is in demand for protecting the systems having old operating systems in an industrial environment.
With mGuard CIFS Integrity Monitoring, Phoenix Contact offers an award-winning, industry suitable solution to protect Windows-based automation components against malware infestation. To achieve this, mGuard Integrity Monitoring supervises file systems against unexpected modifications or additions to programs, dynamic link libraries, and other executable code without utilizing virus patterns – thus eliminating the need for their permanent update. This innovation can even detect damages from zero day exploits for which virus patterns don’t even exist yet.
Benefit of CIFS
- Secure | reliable identification of malware modifications
- Independent | no need for anti-virus pattern updates
- Slim | reduced impacts on your system and real-time performance
Uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) have become a standard in industrial applications. However, it’s not just the DC consumers that need to be protected against power drops. AC loads, such as camera systems or IPCs, also need to keep running during temporary supply failures. Phoenix Contact’s industrial-grade Quint AC UPS with IQ technology offers a more suitable alternative to the office UPS solutions frequently encountered in this area. The Quint AC UPS can be latched onto the DIN rail, it is certified for all standard industrial requirements, and thanks to a range of different power storage concepts, it can be deployed very flexibly.