— Jeremy Butcher, CEO, FOX-IT
FOX-IT has partnered with Mumbai-based
High-Tech Technologies (HTT) to launch Data Diode
and other products in India. In an interaction with Electrical Monitor at the National Seminar on
Cyber Security for Crucial Power Networks organised by HTT, Jeremy Butcher spoke to
Venugopal Pillai and
Jibran Buchh about cyber threats and how Fort Fox Data Diode by FOX-IT
can offer unmatched protection against cyber attacks. Butcher sees a big market in India and
views with favour the country's willingness to go in for innovative products.
Can you explain the extent of
cyber threat in the power sector?
I think we are beginning to see cyber
threats in the power sector. Apart
from deliberate attacks, we also have
"accidental" attacks on power
distribution control systems. "Back
doors" have also been found, for
example, in power generation
infrastructure in the US. Nobody
really knows what the back doors are
intended to do, but they do open up
possibilities of cyber attacks. We are
just at the tip of the iceberg in terms
of cyber threats.
Do you think the Smart Grid
culture that India is trying to
imbibe should factor in cyber
security as its basic quality?
In fact, Smart Grids create a new
opportunity for cyber attacks. There
have been worms developed in the
form of self-replicating software. In
fact, there are worms that can
replicate a single smart meter into
multiple smart meters. It can have a
very large (adverse) impact on the
power distribution companies. Smart
meters are particularly vulnerable
because they are near peoples' homes.
In the case of power generation
plants, there is a lot of physical
security unlike in a smart meter.
Apart from power, what other
sectors do you need cyber security?
Many of the infrastructure process
control sectors are some areas.
Defense is a big area that needs
protection from cyber threat. We at
Fox-IT have other products that are
specific to sectors like the one for the
banking sector.
How important is the Indian
market for Fox-IT?
We are based in Europe so most the
countries that are nearby and easy for
us to reach have very little economic
growth. So, we have to look at other
countries that are growing very fastlike
India. We also observe that
countries that are growing very fast
have more willingness to innovate. This thinking suits us as we have
products that are "ahead of the
curve". We need customers that are
willing to accept innovative
solutions.
Apart from Data Diode, what
other products are you planning
to market in India?
Data diode will be our main product.
We also have products for online
banking security, apart from
products specific to communications,
for example mobile telephony
communication, radio communication
used by police, etc.
What is the status of your
mandatory STQC certification to
enter the Indian market?
We have applied for certification and
have gone through all technical
audits. We have complied with all the
documentation. All the formalities
are expected to be completed in the
next few weeks or a month.
What is the competition to Data
Diode?
We find that many people are using
firewalls without realizing the risk of
using them. Those that realize the
vulnerability of firewalls prefer to
disconnect their networks. This can
be secure but it is very inefficient.
Are there other data diodes?
Yes, there are data diodes being used,
mainly in military. The basic idea of
data diodes came from the military
world. There are few data diode
companies that focus on other
critical infrastructure.
Are you working on other
projects in India?
We are at the "proof of concept" stage
with respect to several projects. We
are partnering with High Tech
Technologies (HTT) for our
operations in India.
How is your partnership with
HTT coming along?
It is a great partnership. For a product
like Data Diode, it is more of creating
awareness. HTT has been organizing
national seminars that are helping
spread awareness and knowledge
about our products. These things
take much long, but we are pleased
that HTT is willing to put in the
effort and also invest time.
How do you see Fox-IT five years
down the line in India?
Our core values have been excellence
and innovation. We believe we will
have lot of new products by then.
India is a big market and we hope to
introduce more products apart from
our flagship Data Diode.