# Terminator Becomes National Standard

- Link: https://www.agilicus.com/terminator-becomes-national-standard/
- Published: 2023-09-10T16:43:55+00:00
- Author: Don Bowman

**I’ll be back**. An iconic line delivered in a memorable Austrian accent, foreshadowing
the actual rise of cyber-physical systems. In the Terminator franchise, we saw for
the first time the trifecta of physical machines, artificial intelligence, and, 
cyber-security gone awry. Science fiction moved from the War Operation Plan Response(
WOPR) of the 1983 film WarGames (which merely thought about wars) to physical machines
that could do something about it. While this is all good fun in a theatre, it’s 
now becoming a reality. And all good realities need succinct standards to guide 
them towards good from evil. Into this gap has emerged NIST with an update to [NIST SP 800-82](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/82/r3/ipd),
expanding its scope to include these cyber-physical systems as well as building 
management systems and other operational technology goodness.

## NIST SP 800-82 Rev 3

![operational-technology](https://www.agilicus.com/www/3861386a-operational-technology.
svg)

One of the main changes in the upcoming revision three of NIST SP 800-82 is an expansion
in scope. Industrial Control Systems are a part of the greater Operational Technology(
we explain this acronym soup in more detail in [Piercing The Purdue Model:
Zero Trust In Operational Technology
) rubric, which also includes Distributed Control Systems, Building Management Systems, etc., as well as updates to threats, vulnerabilities, risk management, and best practices. Of particular interest is the alignment to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework ([CSF](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NIST_Cybersecurity_Framework)), which
I believe is a lot more manageable and achievable for many companies. NIST CSF is
also in the process of a major revision to 2.0, adding a Govern function.

### Coverage

The scope of NIST SP 800-82 Revision 3 (Draft) has been broadened to include not
only traditional Industrial Control Systems (ICS) used in critical infrastructure
sectors but also emerging technologies like the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
and other systems such as Building Automation Systems (BAS) and Physical Access 
Control Systems (PACS). The term “Operational Technology” (OT) is now used to refer
to these broader systems, including Industrial Control Systems as one of the main
entities. This acknowledges the evolving threat landscape and the need for enhanced
security measures.

The addition of Building Automation Systems and Physical Access Control Systems 
moves this from solely critical infrastructure sectors (water, energy, and transportation)
into everyday life (malls, apartment buildings, and office buildings).

### Risk

Risk Management: The new version emphasizes a risk-based approach to cybersecurity.
It introduces the concept of risk management frameworks, which help organizations
identify and prioritize potential threats and vulnerabilities. This approach enables
more targeted and effective security measures.

### Response Plan

Enhanced Incident Response: The latest version places greater emphasis on incident
response and recovery. It provides detailed guidance on developing and implementing
robust incident response plans specific to Operational Technology environments. 
This helps organizations minimize the impact of cybersecurity incidents and restore
operations quickly.

### Integration

Integration with Cybersecurity Framework (CSF): NIST SP 800-82 Revision 3 (Draft)
aligns with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), providing a cohesive approach
to managing cybersecurity across an organization. This integration allows organizations
to leverage existing CSF practices and frameworks to secure their Operational Technology
environments.

### Supply Chain

![supply-chain](https://www.agilicus.com/www/2019/04/0b4a4c4a-supply-chain.png)

Supply Chain Security: NIST SP 800-82 Revision 3 (Draft) recognizes the importance
of securing the supply chain, particularly for Operational Technology environments.
It provides guidance on assessing and managing risks associated with third-party
suppliers, ensuring that the software and hardware components used in Operational
Technology systems are trustworthy and free from vulnerabilities.

I’ve talked many times about supply chain, e.g. “[Multi-Factor Authentication and the Supply Chain](https://www.agilicus.com/multi-factor-authentication-and-the-supply-chain/)“,
but it remains one of the more pervasive and complex problems to solve, both on 
the technology side (their code inside the code of my vendor), but also on the people
side (their staff supports my site).

### Access

Access Control and Authentication: The new version emphasizes the importance of 
access control and strong authentication mechanisms. It provides guidance on implementing
multi-factor authentication, password management, and user access controls. These
measures help prevent unauthorized access and enhance the overall security posture.

As you can likely see by watching my video about this topic, this is an area our
team at Agilicus is very passionate about.

### Threat

Threat Intelligence and Monitoring: NIST SP 800-82 Revision 3 (Draft) emphasizes
the need for continuous monitoring and threat intelligence. It provides guidance
on implementing security controls and tools to detect and respond to potential threats
in real time. This proactive approach enables organizations to stay ahead of emerging
threats.

### Controls

There is new tailoring guidance for NIST SP 800-53, Rev. 5 security controls with
an Operational Technology overlay that provides mapped security control baselines
for low-impact, moderate-impact, and high-impact Operational Technology systems.

I have covered some of the mappings between SP 800 53 and Zero Trust, and some of
the risks it seeks to control, including some mappings in “[NIST SP 800 53 Mapping To Zero Trust](https://www.agilicus.com/white-papers/nist-sp-800-53-mapping-to-zero-trust/)“

### Program

The NIST SP 800-82 Rev 3 refers to ISA-62443-2, which I have covered in “[Industrial Zero-
Trust Micro-Segmentation: 
Leverage Identity To Simplify IEC-62443 Zones
“, giving
guidelines on how to fulfill the cybersecurity requirements are described for each
element of the cybersecurity program.

## Conclusions

I covered a lot, but the standard covers even more. I find each of these standards
pretty accessible, I recommend starting with the [Cybersecurity Framework](https://www.nist.gov/cyberframework),
followed by the [NIST SP 800-82](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/82/r3/ipd). Even
if only to understand and assess the risks you face that you might be unaware of,
these are worth reading.
