Industrial cybersecurity firm Nozomi Networks Inc. today announced a new security offering for industrial control systems and field assets that provides extended, real-time visibility into internal systems.

Called Arc Embedded, the new security sensor runs embedded in Mitsubishi Electric programmable logic controllers and is claimed to be an industry first. The service allows security and operations teams to gain previously unavailable visibility at the process level of their industrial automation equipment and field assets.

The sensor addresses a crucial need in the industrial sector: enhanced security for manufacturing processes within programmable logic controllers. PLCs are specialized industrial digital computers engineered to automate industrial processes that combine high reliability with ease of programming.

Widely used across various industries, PLCs enhance operational efficiency by providing real-time processing and control, even in the harshest environments, with Mitsubishi Electric’s MELSEC iQ-R series representing a commonly used PLC technology. Nozomi Networks’ Arc Embedded integrates with Mitsubishi’s PLCs to deliver automation and cybersecurity.

The integration allows Arc Embedded to provide visibility at the process level of industrial automation equipment and field assets. Security and operations teams can now analyze and deter process-level threats and malicious user activity without impacting current resources or disrupting mission-critical networks. The net result is said to be greater operational resilience, reduced cyber risk and improved compliance.

Arc Embedded also transforms existing industrial control systems into Secure-by-Design assets, offering a fully integrated security layer from an independent vendor that delivers robust, comprehensive protection for today’s in-production systems.

“Arc Embedded can transform how chief information security officers can manage and protect critical infrastructure, extended security to and through industrial control systems, down to the field assets they manage,” said Nozomi Networks co-founder and Chief Product officer Andrea Carcano. “Customers in a variety of industries can feel confident deploying Arc Embedded in their MELCO PLCs, strengthening security all the way to the physical process – a revolutionary approach that makes it possible to extend in-depth real-time monitoring of assets, network traffic, anomaly detection and threat identification directly to process controls.”

Arc Embedded is now available for MELCO iQ-R series PLCs via a subscription-based model from MELCO, Nozomi Networks and Nozomi’s channel partners.

Photo: Nozomi Networks