Contec: BX-M2500 Trellix BOX Computer — An Embedded Computer with Important Factory System Security Countermeasures
March 24, 2023
Contec Co., Ltd. has recently developed the BX-M2500 Trellix BOX Computer, an embedded PC with NIST SP800-compliant secure BIOS and Trellix Application Control security software pre-installed to protect against ransomware.
Contec began taking orders for this new product on March 23, 2023.
The new BX-M2500 Trellix BOX Computer is an embedded PC with an Intel Xeon E-2278GEL processor, high-capacity memory, and high-capacity storage. Boasting security functions specified as countermeasures in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s “Guidelines for Cyber-Physical Security Measures for Building Systems,” the new product is a high-specification, secure model with a tamper-resistant BIOS compliant with the NIST SP800-147 security standard set by U.S. government agencies, a TCG TPM 2.0 module, and the Windows 10 IoT Enterprise embedded device OS with Trellix Application Control execution permission list (whitelist) anti-virus software—an endpoint security product from Trellix.
Cyber-attacks using WannaCry and other ransomware have been discovered in medical equipment, ATMs, digital signage, and other embedded devices as well as large-scale factory systems, and the number of attacks and the severity of damage has been increasing across the globe. In the first half of 2022, there were 114 cases of damages caused by ransomware reported to the National Police Agency. Cases with damages have been steadily increasing since the second half of 2020 regardless of the size of the company or organization or the industry. Ransomware attacks in Japan have affected automobile-related companies, semiconductor-related companies, and industrial equipment–related companies, with many companies forced to suspend production and sales activities.
Such cyber-attacks have been recognized as a management risk that affects entire businesses, making it necessary to take measures to protect embedded devices and factory systems from such attacks. However, it is still important for companies to utilize equipment operation data and find new ways to create added value, giving rise to the increasing need for connecting communications networks to the Internet, which in turn increases the number of security risk sources.
As the importance of security measures increases, traditional perimeter defenses are no longer sufficient in protecting against cyber threats. Adopting the idea that the Internet is no longer a generally safe place but one that is inherently bad, cyber resilience has become essential, and endpoint (device-level) security measures as well as perimeter defenses are becoming important.
Contec’s new product utilizes its NIST SP800-147–compliant secure BIOS to protect the PC during pre-boot processes while also providing powerful endpoint security functionality during post-boot processes, including the Windows lockdown function and the Trellix Application Control for preventing unapproved programs and scripts from being executed.
