Hello, my name is Jake. I am a cyber technologist at Awen, undertaking a placement year and will be returning to Cardiff University to complete my Msc in Computing. I am new to the cybersecurity sector and enjoy being given a challenge that requires me to test myself, learn new concepts and put them into practice, something that seems will keep me busy in this industry.
Awen launches Siemens partnership at #Transform2022
Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th July 2022, a few members of #TeamAwen attended Transform 2022 - a Siemens event focused on transforming industrial sectors in the UK & Ireland, and wider Europe. We were there to engage with the industrial community with an invitation from Siemens. Our goal was to officially launch and celebrate the new collaborative partnership between Awen Collective and Siemens, which begins with a consortium to help improve cyber security within industrial SMEs. We launched our press release on this on the 8th July 2022, and this news has been appearing in publications.
Siemens and Awen Collective collaborate to provide SMEs affordable cybersecurity solutions
Siemens has partnered with Welsh cybersecurity software company Awen Collective to develop a new, accessible and affordable, managed OT security solution for small and medium enterprises.
The Undeclared War: Gripping cyber security series on Channel 4
Purdue Model: Intelligently Segregating Your OT Networks
The modern OT threat landscape is growing due to the significant rise of interconnected network devices. OT is particularly vulnerable given the need for high availability and integrity, at the expense of confidentiality (which is at odds with the priorities in an IT environment). Following the Purdue model helps mitigate the risk of compromise by not allowing different types of devices to operate on the same subnet (eg: manufacturing devices and databases). Consequently, it is referenced in key compliance standards such as IEC62443 and OG86 as a practice to be implemented.
The Evolution of Malware
In the beginning, people created computers. A few years later, people decided to create malware. Firstly, we need to clarify what malware, virus, worms and trojans are. Malware is a catch-all phrase for all malicious software regardless of how it operates; viruses, worms and trojans fall under the malware term. Viruses spread through computers, firstly through physical input devices and now through the Internet. It usually exists in executable files, meaning it can be on your computer without causing any negative effects until it is run. A worm is a type of virus that can spread without help from a person, for example travelling through an open port in your computer to other computers on your network. Finally, a trojan is a program that allows the creator access to your computer by pretending to be a genuine application (think about the trojan horse).
Case Study: Vortex - Continuous Urban Scanner (CURBS)
Awen and Vortex have known each other for a while. We are both small but growing enterprises in South Wales. Vortex approached us at the beginning of 2022 to help reduce the risk of cyber attacks to the devices that they were developing as part of a 5G applied project called Continuous Urban Scanner (CURBS) in collaboration with National Express, BT and Thales NDEC. The project was part-funded by Innovate UK and used the West Midlands 5G test facility which is supported by UK Government DCMS.
OG86 - The Health and Safety Executive's Guidance for Industrial Network Security
OG86 is Operational Guidance issued by the Health & Safety Executive (the UK government agency tasked with regulating and enforcing health and safety in the workplace) to mitigate the risk of cyber-attacks that could result in health and safety incidents, major accidents and/or the loss of essential services.