The meeting of the Industrial Cyber Security Club (ICS-Club) took place in Moscow on May 27, after a one-year break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Club was established four years ago at the initiative of Norilsk Nickel.

Traditionally, the agenda of these "offline" meetings includes the widest range of acute issues, which are of interest to the information security managers – representatives of the leading Russian industrial companies.

At the plenary session, Boris Miroshnikov, a member of the ICS-Club Council, Vice-President of Citadel Group, reported on public-private partnership in the field of industrial cyber security at the current stage of ICT development. He drew particular attention to the increase in cyberattacks on critical economic and social infrastructure, registered around the world.

The practical aspect of that topic was coved by Dmitry Gutsko, expert on information security at Norilsk Nickel, who spoke about the specifics of corporate SAP systems protection and operation. According to Andrey Kulpin, head of Norilsk Nickel IT Infrastructure Protection Division, the topic is currently in great demand, and its discussion within ICS-Club caused significant practical interest among all the participants.

“Nowadays the majority of industrial giants use SAP solutions. In general, their efficiency is widely recognised, however, the issue of their constant monitoring for reliability and protection from malicious interventions remains a priority – including with regard to corporate risk management. That is why the presentation on accidentally discovered or deliberately introduced vulnerabilities (backdoors) in SAP systems at industrial enterprises, is of acute interest to all information security departments and specialists,” he noted.

In conclusion, Dmitry Grigoriev ICS-Club Director, and Head of Norilsk Nickel Department on Analytic, Information and IT-Infrastructure Protection, refered to the participants: “ICS-Club was originally established not only as an association of managers and specialists in the field of information security, but also as a laboratory platform, where new ideas and solutions in the field of cyber defense are tested. The majority of industrial companies nowadays are in fact, modern multi-industry conglomerates with a complex information infrastructure, which is not only the most important asset but also the area of increased risk, since its smooth operation is a key factor for corporate mechanisms functioning and, consequently, for the stability and consistent development of the national economy in general".