Moxa announced a new firmware upgrade for its industrial Ethernet switches with major enhancements for its security functionalities. This new firmware, called Turbo Pack 3, is not only referencing the IEC 62443-4-2 cybersecurity standard, but also supports other security management features, such as MAC Address and RADIUS authentication to prevent from unauthorized access, known security leaks and unknown attacks. At present, Moxa’s Din-rail switches EDS-G500E, EDS-518E/528E,  and EDS-510E  and rackmount switches  IKS-6726A/6728A, IKS-6728A-8PoE, IKS-G6524A, ICS-G7526A/G7528A, and ICS-G7748A/G7750A/G7752A  can support the new firmware.

Increased Device-Level Security

According to an ICS-CERT report, cyber attacks on the critical manufacturing sector increased by 50% from 2014 to 2015. The report noted that a lack of proper access management and network probing are among the most common network vulnerabilities. One of the key mechanisms to ensure a safe and reliable network is to strengthen device-level security. Turbo Pack 3 ensures Moxa’s switches reference the IEC 62443-4-2 standard, which provides technical security requirements and guidelines for network device suppliers and engineers. Moreover, the new firmware upgrade supports MAC authentication bypass via RADIUS server, and also fixes certain security vulnerabilities to protect the switches from malicious intrusion.

Ensure Network Availability

The firmware upgrade also supports enhancements in redundancy technologies, such as V-ON, traffic management, and real-time event notifications. With these new functionalities, Moxa’s switches are able to enable higher network availability and reliability, which is crucial for mission-critical applications.

Learn More

• White Paper: “Securing Network Devices with the IEC 62443-4-2—What You Should Know”
• Details on the new firmware.