SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--McAfee today announced that NEC is enhancing the security of its industrial and factory automation systems with McAfee Embedded Control, which allows only trusted applications to run on devices. NEC recognizes the growing need to protect industrial controls from cyber-attacks, and is differentiating its industrial computer line-up with embedded security technology.
Any connected device can be a potential target of a cyber-attack, and industrial controls are increasingly being targeted as they become IP enabled. According to a MarketsandMarkets report, the factory automation market is expected to reach $185.0 billion by 2016 with a CAGR of 7.58 percent from 2011 to 20161. The report also notes that Asia-Pacific is expected to have the highest growth rate.
“Strong industrial complexes are essential to strong economies around the world,” said Tom Moore, vice president of worldwide embedded sales at McAfee. “We’re working with NEC to ensure that the world’s factories don’t sit idle because of a cyber-attack and that businesses’ maintain control of their intellectual property.”
Prior to application control and change control technology, industrial automation systems relied on signature-based detection technologies. With the McAfee solution, NEC customers’ augment the signature-based detection approach with enhanced security technologies like whitelisting, memory protection and change control functions.
McAfee Embedded Control ensures that only trusted applications run on devices after they are deployed in a factory or remote location. If the device is tampered with in any way the McAfee solution issues alerts to notify the organization’s operations or facilities manager. McAfee Embedded Control protects from zero-day attacks, reduces in-field breakage, eliminates the patching cycles typical of other security approaches and keeps devices compliant with security standards.
NEC has long used McAfee Embedded Control for its point-of-sale products. Now the product will be available as optional software for all of its industrial computers and integrated into several types of equipment.
“McAfee Embedded Control has become a trusted solution to protect our customers,” said Yasuo Matsumoto, general manager at NEC System Devices Division. “By expanding the use of this technology, we can offer the most reliable and secure industrial computers to our customers globally.”
“We have provided our customers with the most reliable and secure computing platforms with the highest processing power, which are used for industrial automation systems,” said Atsumi Aoyagi, senior manager at NEC Smart Device Business Marketing Division. “With McAfee, we can lock-down the systems on factory floors so that only trusted applications run. Security is an essential requirement to protect industrial systems ranging from controlling devices to wide-area networks.”
In addition to industrial and factory automation systems, McAfee Embedded Control blocks unauthorized applications and changes on fixed-function, point-of-service infrastructures, including retail devices, medical devices, office equipment, gaming devices, automotive and various military and aerospace devices.
About McAfee
McAfee, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), empowers businesses, the public sector, and home users to safely experience the benefits of the Internet. The company delivers proactive and proven security solutions and services for systems, networks, and mobile devices around the world. With its Security Connected strategy, innovative approach to hardware-enhanced security, and unique Global Threat Intelligence network, McAfee is relentlessly focused on keeping its customers safe. http://www.mcafee.com
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1 “Industrial Controls (SCADA, PLC, DCS) & Factory Automation (Field Devices, MES, ERP) Market: Global Forecast & Analysis (2011-2016), MarketsandMarkets, March 2012
