Security Architecture¶

This section provides an overview of Insights Hub, an end-to-end IoT as a Service solution powered by robust Industrial IoT capabilities. It enables seamless connectivity with field assets and utilizes the combined potential of connected data through applications and solutions to generate meaningful insights. For details on connectivity concepts, refer to the Concepts architecture.

Prerequisites¶

The following security measures must be established before operating the system:

• Ensure that you have the appropriate roles and access permissions for the application, data, and assets. For more information, refer to Roles and responsibilities.
• Implement Secure by Default principles during installation and commissioning.
• Configure a chain of trust to ensure secure communication between users, devices, and cloud services.
• Enforce strong password policies for all user accounts and enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) wherever possible.
• Establish appropriate controls for privileged accounts and administrator access.

Concepts of Security approach¶

Siemens applies a "Defense in Depth" approach, offering a multi-layered security concept aligned with IEC 62443 recommendations to protect industrial plants comprehensively. For more information, refer to Industrial Cybersecurity.

The "Defense in Depth" concept addresses the following:

• Protection zones
• Secure system lifecycle integration
• Cloud infrastructure and data protection
• Identity and Access Management (IAM)
• Certificate-based trust management

Protection zones¶

The following image depicts the details of different security zone phases.

1. Plant Security prevents unauthorized physical access through building access controls and secure zones.

   • Card-based access
   • Biometric access
   • Code-based access.

   These access controls are supported by organizational security measures.

2. Network Security protects automation networks from unauthorized access using:

   • Product-level security measures
   • Environmental security measures

3. System Integrity safeguards automation processes and know-how against unauthorized changes through:

   • Configuration protection
   • Manipulation detection

Lifecycle Integration¶

This section ensures that security is embedded throughout the entire system lifecycle, from initial installation to final decommissioning. It establishes a continuous security approach by applying secure practices during setup, maintaining protection during operation, controlling service activities, and ensuring secure disposal of data and assets at the end of the system lifecycle.

1. Installation provides secure setup and commissioning while assuming "Secure by Default" implementation.
2. Operation provides ongoing protection through security updates and evolving protection technologies.
3. Maintenance provides that the maintenance activities are controlled and logged, including controlled service activities, logging of maintenance actions and use of trusted devices only.
4. Decommissioning provides the details of disposal or recycling, the sensitive data must be securely deleted and storage media must be securely destroyed when necessary.

Cloud Infrastructure and Data Protection¶

1. Cloud Infrastructure: Siemens-operated services run on AWS-certified infrastructure.
2. Environment Isolation: Productive and pre-productive environments are separated through dedicated cloud accounts.

Certificate management¶

Certificates are essential for securing communication and establishing trust between components within the Insights Hub ecosystem. Certificate management varies slightly across different Insights Hub offerings.

Secure communication between users, IoT Devices and the Cloud¶

Insights Hub provides secure HTTPS endpoints for communication between users, IoT devices and cloud services. To establish trusted and secure communication, a valid chain of trust must be configured. This includes the appropriate certificates and certificate authorities (CAs) required for Transport Layer Security (TLS) authentication between clients and the cloud.

The supported communication scenarios include:

• User-to-cloud communication: Users access Insights Hub services securely through web browsers using HTTPS.
• Device-to-cloud communication: IoT devices communicate securely with cloud services using the supported connectivity concepts provided by Insights Hub.

For details about the supported device connectivity models, refer to Connectivity Concepts.

Chain of Trust¶

A chain of trust is a security model that verifies the authenticity and integrity of a certificate. The chain begins with a trusted Root Certificate Authority (CA) certificate and can include one or more intermediate certificates linking the root certificate to the end-user certificate. Each certificate validates the next certificate in the chain, providing assurance that the connection is trusted.

When a device or browser establishes a connection, the entire certificate chain is validated:

1. Root certificate
2. Intermediate certificate(s)
3. End-user certificate

This validation confirms that the connection is ultimately trusted by the root CA.

Certificate lifecycle management¶

Certificate Lifecycle Management is the end-to-end process of issuing, deploying, monitoring, renewing, revoking, and retiring digital certificates to ensure continuous security, trust, and operational reliability.

Certificates follow a defined lifecycle consisting of the following stages:

1. Issuance: A trusted Certificate Authority (CA) issues the certificate to an entity after verifying its identity.
2. Usage: The certificate is used to establish secure communication and prove the identity of the entity.
3. Expiration: Certificates have a validity period. Once expired, they can no longer be used for secure communication.
4. Renewal: Before expiration, the certificate is renewed by the CA to maintain trust and security.
5. Revocation: If a certificate is compromised or no longer trusted, it is revoked by the CA and marked as invalid.

Identity and Access Management (IAM)¶

Identity and Access Management (IAM) is the process of granting authorized users access to services while preventing access by unauthorized users.

Identity and access management supports the following:

• Ensures authorized service usage
• Supports rights management
• Enforces information security policies and actions
• Helps protect Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability (CIA)

Password management¶

Password management is the process of creating, storing, protecting, updating, and controlling passwords to ensure secure access to systems, applications, devices, and data.

The following key aspects should be considered when creating a secure password:

• Include a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters.
• Use at least one non-alphanumeric character (for example, !, @, #, $, %).
• Ensure the password is a minimum of 12 characters in length, longer passwords are recommended for enhanced security.

The federal office for Information Security is a recommended source to understand the key aspects to create secure passwords. For more information, refer to Creating Secure Passwords.

Roles and responsibilities¶

Customers are responsible for managing users, assigning permissions, and ensuring that access to system resources is granted only to authorized users. To maintain a secure environment, the following responsibilities should be fulfilled:

• Tenant administrator responsibilities
• Customer operational responsibilities

Tenant administrator responsibilities¶

Users with tenant administrator rights have extensive access and manipulation capabilities within the system. Customers must ensure that appropriate security controls protect administrator accounts from unauthorized changes.

The following recommendations help ensure secure and effective user and access management:

• Using secure passwords
• Using standard user accounts for normal operations
• Applying security policies where necessary

Customer operational responsibilities¶

Customers should adhere to the following responsibilities:

• Granting access to tenants, applications, services, APIs, data, or functions only to authorized entities.
• Setting up groups and users according to organizational requirements.
• Removing access when the need-to-know or least-privilege principles no longer apply.
• Performing regular audits to verify that access permissions remain appropriate.

References¶

Documentation on user roles and access rights is available in the system manuals of many applications. Additionally, the following references provide further guidance on Identity and Access Management (IAM) concepts:

• Authentication and Authorization
• Roles and Scopes
• Key Rotations
• Identity Provider Federation

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