Three government security challenges solved with data diodes

Data diode or Firewall?

When it comes to protecting sensitive or classified information from leakage or manipulation, one common solution is to completely disconnect it from other networks. However, there may be times when data needs to be transferred to or from the protected network. In these cases, a firewall may not be sufficient for improving cybersecurity. While a firewall can help protect the network by only allowing certain traffic through, a high assurance supplement in the form of a Cross Domain Solution (CDS) may also be necessary. A CDS, like a data diode, helps to maintain secure information exchange between domains with different security or protection needs. Data diodes, specifically, are a type of CDS that facilitate communication, sharing, or movement of information between domains while also applying validation, transformation, or filtering to the exchange.

Secure File Transfer

One use of data diodes for government authorities is secure file transfer. When transferring important information from a high-security system to a lower-security administrative office network, there is a risk of security breaches. However, by using a data diode to send the data from the high-security network to the lower-security network, the information can be transmitted safely while maintaining the integrity of the high-security network. The data diode ensures that no one can use the same connection to access the sensitive network and potentially manipulate it while also protecting the sending domain.

Learn more about the functions of data diodes here.

Using data diodes for traceability and logging in security-sensitive operations

Centralized log collection in security-sensitive systems can increase the risk of attacks. To mitigate these risks, a solution is needed that protects both log information and all connected systems.

Many IT systems generate logs that allow for troubleshooting and traceability. To maximize the usefulness of these logs, it is important to collect logs from as many systems as possible into a central system for storage and analysis.

If you have security-sensitive or zoned systems and want to implement centralized log collection, you must consider the inherent goal conflict. Logging benefits from having a common system for all zones/subsystems, but a common system increases the risk of various types of attack and the risk of information leakage between the supervised systems.

Data diodes can provide powerful protection for centralized log collection. Each zone that delivers log information is protected with a data diode. The data flow is unidirectional towards the log system. This allows for the use of a common log system, regardless of the number of zones that deliver data to it. 

Read more about logging and CDS here.

Secure Updates

As the use of Windows and/or Linux based systems within ICS/SCADA has grown, the need to update these systems has become more pressing. This is because complex software often contains bugs that need to be fixed in order to maintain system stability and security.

However, if not done properly, the process of updating can itself pose a security risk. The integrity and availability of the systems must be maintained, and most system updates are not adequately evaluated in the environment in which they are used or in combination with the applications that are running.

One way to securely perform updates is by using a data diode to ensure one-way communication. The data diode is connected in such a way that information can be imported into the system, but since no traffic can be transmitted in the opposite direction, information leakage is prevented.

We know the in and outs of data diodes from a cybersecurity point of view. Please do not hesitate to ask us anything.

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