Protecting UK’s Critical National Infrastructure With Secure File Transfer
The U.K.’s critical national infrastructure signifies essential services and systems fundamental to the nation’s well-being and security, encompassing key sectors such as transportation, energy, healthcare, communication, finance, and more. Given the importance of secure and reliable information exchange in these sectors, any compromise can cause significant economic loss, disrupt national security, and endanger citizen safety. Hence, secure file transfer is pivotal in protecting these national infrastructures from cyber threats. Moreover, Cyber Essentials certification is compulsory for businesses seeking to engage in some government contracts relating to these key sectors, reinforcing the criticality of cybersecurity in the National Infrastructure. This post outlines how secure file transfer plays a crucial role in protecting the U.K.’s national infrastructure by ensuring secure and reliable file transmission.
Top 5 Secure File Transfer Standards to Achieve Regulatory Compliance
The Cyber-threat Landscape in Critical National Infrastructure Systems
The current cyber-threat landscape for the U.K.’s critical infrastructure systems is increasingly perilous with the constant evolution of sophisticated cyber threats. Critical infrastructure systems, which include key sectors like utilities, transport, health, and finance, have become the target of advanced persistent threats (APTs). These APTs leverage multi-stage attacks that begin with reconnaissance to identify system vulnerabilities and culminate with a devastating attack that could disrupt essential services. The pressing concern is not just from nation-state sponsored attacks but also from organized cybercrime syndicates, seeking to exploit infrastructural vulnerabilities for financial gain.
The vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure systems are often a result of outdated legacy systems, poor security culture, and the increasing interconnectivity induced by the use of too many disaggregated communication tools. In fact, Kiteworks’ 2023 Sensitive Content Communications Privacy and Compliance Report found that over 85% of federal and national governments rely on five or more communication tools. Often, security is seen as a hindrance to operations, leading to widespread use of default passwords, inadequate patch management, and absence of multi-factor authentication. On the other hand, IoT increases the attack surface for threat actors, leading to potential disruption of essential services, theft of sensitive content, and even physical damage. Such vulnerabilities underscore the critical importance of integrating robust, secure, and user-friendly systems to safeguard critical infrastructure systems.
Insecure information exchange poses significant risks to critical infrastructure systems. Data breaches can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information, such as personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI), and payment card industry (PCI) data, causing significant damage and disruption. Additionally, it could also jeopardize national security.
File Transfer in Critical National Infrastructure Systems
Content communication is crucial for maintaining the integrity of national infrastructures. It allows for real-time monitoring, quick decision-making, and coordination in the event of emergencies. Inadequate flow of content can lead to system breakdowns and even catastrophic failure of critical infrastructures. File transfer in national infrastructure systems is carried out through various communication protocols and networks. This exchange of content enables coordination between different systems, ensuring efficient functioning of the entire infrastructure.
Secure file transfer, therefore, is a vital component in the strategy to mitigate cyber threats for critical infrastructure systems. Infrastructural data, operational technology (OT) instructions, and sensitive content exchanged across the infrastructure ecosystem require secure channels of transfer. A secure file transfer system, incorporating advanced encryption, multi-factor authentication, rigorous access controls, and detailed audit logs, sharply reduces the potential for unauthorized access and threats like spear phishing or data theft.
How Secure File Transfer Protects Critical National Infrastructure Systems
Secure file transfer plays a pivotal role in ensuring the security and reliability of critical national infrastructure systems, safeguarding them from cyber threats while maintaining confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data. Secure file transfer protects critical infrastructure systems through:
| End-to-End Encryption | End-to-end encryption is a security measure through which data transferred between two systems is converted into a code to prevent unauthorized access. Not even the server that transmits the data can decode it, providing a high level of security against interference and eavesdropping. |
| Multi-factor Authentication | Multi-factor authentication (MFA) requires users to provide multiple independent credentials for verification before gaining access to a system. Beyond just a username and password, MFA could include biometric data or a unique code sent to a pre-verified device, adding another layer of security. |
| Secure Protocols | Secure protocols, such as HTTPS, FTPS, or SFTP, are methods of transmission that encrypt the data before sending and decrypt it upon receiving. This ensures only the intended recipient can access the information, protecting it from potential interceptors. |
| Audit Logs | Audit logs are records of activities and transactions in a system. They provide insight into who accessed certain data, when, and what changes were made, if any. These logs are crucial in tracking any potential security breaches and understanding the extent of any damage. |
| Data Loss Prevention | Data loss prevention (DLP) refers to strategies and solutions that prevent sensitive data from being lost, leaked, or misused. These may include rules on data handling, user access restrictions, and real-time monitoring of sensitive data. |
| Compliance With Standards | Compliance with standards means the adhering to specific rules, guidelines, or best practices set by recognized bodies. This could include standards like the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) or the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), which outline necessary measures for securing certain kinds of data. |
| Prevention of Malware Spread | Prevention of malware spread involves using strong antivirus software, firewalls, and other methods to block malicious software from infecting systems. This protects not just individual files or machines, but entire networks from potential threats and damage. |
Top Secure File Transfer Standards That Protect Critical National Infrastructure Systems
Before settling on a secure file transfer solution, it’s important to understand the various standards, and their strengths and weaknesses, before deciding which solution is the right one for you and your business. In no particular order, here is a sampling of some secure file transfer standards:
1. File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
This is an early and popular standard for transferring files over the internet. FTP uses a client-server model where the client requests the files and the server transmits them. While FTP is simple and widely supported, it does not, by default, include any encryption or security measures. This means information like usernames, passwords, and data are sent over the network in plain text, vulnerable to interception.
2. Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)
SFTP is a more secure version of FTP. Rather than transmitting data in plain text, SFTP encrypts the data before sending it. This protects the data from unauthorized access during transmission. SFTP allows for file transfers, file management, and file access over secure connections. It also checks for data integrity to ensure the files received are the same as the files that were sent.
3. FTP Over SSL/TLS (FTPS)
FTPS is an extension to the standard FTP protocol that adds support for the SSL/TLS protocols. This means that, like SFTP, FTPS encrypts the data it sends to protect it during transmission. FTPS also includes features like certificate authentication and session resumption to further enhance its security.
4. OpenPGP
OpenPGP is a non-proprietary protocol for encrypting email using public key cryptography. It is based on the original PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) software. While not strictly a file transfer protocol, OpenPGP can be used with file transfer protocols like FTP or HTTP to securely send files via email. It uses a combination of data compression, hashing, public key cryptography, and symmetric key cryptography to ensure data integrity and confidentiality.
5. Managed File Transfer (MFT)
Managed file transfer (MFT) centralizes all the features of these other file-sharing protocols into one platform for secure, efficient, and compliant file transfers across organizations. MFT provides a secure and reliable way for businesses to transfer data between systems, applications, or people. This system is designed to handle large amounts of data, offering features such as automation, security, centralization, and auditing. MFT can also support multiple protocols and standards, making it more versatile than other file transfer methods. It is primarily used by businesses that need to move high volumes of sensitive data regularly and require comprehensive security measures to protect their information. MFT provides a single location to create, secure, encrypt, audit, and monitor all actions in the file transfer process.
Kiteworks Secure File Transfer Protects Critical National Infrastructure
The Kiteworks Private Content Network includes Managed File Transfer and SFTP capabilities that provide unparalleled protection for critical national infrastructure with its advanced security features, centralized management, robust compliance and reporting, high scalability and integration, and customizable workflows and automation. Kiteworks meets the requirements to ensure customers who deploy a Kiteworks-enabled Private Content Network are in compliance with Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus while communicating sensitive content within the system. The platform provides:
Advanced Security Features
Kiteworks utilizes industry-leading encryption algorithms like AES encryption, TLS, or RSA, end-to-end encryption, and secure protocols such as SFTP, FTPS, and HTTPS. Further enhancing security are the encryption key management options, which ensure the protection of files from unauthorized access and interception during transmission.
Centralized Management
With a centralized management console provided by Kiteworks, businesses can easily configure and monitor file transfer activities from a singular control point. This feature guarantees the consistent enforcement of security policies and simplifies the administration of file transfers.
Compliance and Reporting
Kiteworks excels in its compliance and reporting capabilities, delivering extensive reporting features, role-based access controls, and audit logs to ensure compliance with regulations like Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), ISO 27001, Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), GxP, and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Scalability and Integration
Kiteworks provides organizations with high scalability, capable of handling substantial file volumes, multiple simultaneous transfers, and integrated smoothly with existing systems. The clustering options that distribute the file transfer workload across multiple servers ensure high availability and adaptability.
Organizations working with critical national infrastructure can schedule a customized demo today to see how Kiteworks’ MFT can help them protect their sensitive content.
Additional Resources
- Brief Meeting Cyber Essentials Plus Requirements With Kiteworks: A Comprehensive Solution for Protecting Your Organisation From Cyber Threats
- Blog Post Best Enterprise Secure File Transfer Solutions: Managed File Transfer vs. Automated File Transfer
- Brief Kiteworks MFT—When You Absolutely, Positively Need the Most Modern and Secure MFT Solution
- Blog Post Secure File Transfer for Government: A Comprehensive Guide
- Blog Post Secure File Transfer for Defense Contractors: Ensuring Confidentiality and Integrity