Moxa releases switch firmware to ramp up device security

Jun. 6, 2017 – Moxa says it has announced a new firmware upgrade for its industrial Ethernet switches with major enhancements for its security functionalities.

The new firmware, called Turbo Pack 3, is not only compliant with the IEC 62443-4-2 level 2 cybersecurity standard, but also supports other security management features, such as MAC Address and RADIUS authentication to help prevent from unauthorized access, known security leaks and unknown attacks, it says. According to an ICS-CERT report, cyber attacks on the critical manufacturing sector increased by 50 per cent from 2014 to 2015. The report noted that a lack of proper access management and network probing are among the most common network vulnerabilities. Turbo Pack 3 ensures the switches comply with the IEC 62443-4-2 level 2 standard, which provides technical security requirements and guidelines for network device suppliers and engineers, says Moxa. Moreover, the new firmware upgrade supports MAC authentication bypass via RADIUS server, and also fixes certain security vulnerabilities to protect the switches from malicious intrusion.