Honeywell Introduces App Control And Whitelisting Solution For Experion PKS

Honeywell has announced a fully certified application control and whitelisting solution to help combat viruses and malware from attacking its Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS) control system platform. Whitelisting is an important tool in Honeywell’s evolving cybersecurity arsenal that protects from unwanted intrusions by permitting only applications and executable files that are considered safe and on an “approved list” to run, while blocking everything else.

“Experion PKS users want increased cybersecurity as well as to spend less time managing the control system,” said Mike Baldi, Chief Cyber Security Architect for Honeywell Process Solutions. “Application control and whitelisting is another tool to help them balance the need for security with available resources.”

Whitelisting solutions have been deployed in business IT environments for years, but their introduction into automation control systems is relatively new. Two major Honeywell control systems customers have been extensively piloting the solution through rigorous testing in specialised, mission-critical environments and providing crucial feedback on their experiences.

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“Integrated business and production systems require careful design and infrastructure to ensure selective access and security. Honeywell is committed to helping customers strengthen their cyber security by providing best-in-class technology in a manageable, scalable fashion,” Baldi added. “Application control and whitelisting is a good safeguard against some zero day intrusions – where defenders have no prior awareness of vulnerability, and can enable better change management and protection against unauthorised alterations to the system configuration.”

The solution is the result of an agreement between Honeywell Process Solutions and technology partner, Bit9 who provides advanced threat protection for endpoint protection and windows server security.