Rhebo's solution continuously analyzes network communication and reports any changes to it in real time. This also reveals threats and suspicious communication patterns that were previously unknown or undetected and therefore jeopardize the security and continuity of industrial environments.

Andreas Franke, Managing Director of VNG Innovation GmbH (© VNG)

VNG Innovation sees great potential in Rhebo to make the information and communication technologies of municipal utilities, network operators and industrial customers, among others, more secure. "Gas production facilities, gas storage facilities, transmission networks and gas distribution networks must also be secure against attacks in the gas industry. As a German technology company, Rhebo is committed to reliably protecting digital networks from cyberattacks. We are therefore delighted to be involved with Rhebo, another innovative Leipzig start-up that has recognized the signs of the times," explains Andreas Franke, Managing Director of VNG Innovation.

The threat to information and communication technology systems of digital infrastructures, such as in the energy supply or in industry, is increasing. Attacks endanger not only the security of supply for the general public, but also efficient production processes. Highly networked industrial environments therefore require an integrated security concept that fully monitors the networks as the nervous system of Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

"With VNG Innovation GmbH, we have gained a strong strategic partner who is very familiar with one of our core markets, that of critical infrastructures," says Klaus Mochalski, CEO of Rhebo, explaining the decision in favor of the investment partner. "This will enable us to increase the healthy growth of recent years and further develop our technology in line with the increasing demands on industrial control networks. The need for newly conceived solutions for the seamless monitoring of control networks for technical error states and covert cyber attacks has clearly increased, not least due to the IT Security Act and the increasing networking of production facilities," says Mochalski.

Anomaly detection is a method of threat prevention in the context of IT and OT (operational technology) security. An anomaly describes any change to the permitted and known standard communication in networks. This can be a malware or cyber attack. Incorrect data packets or communication changes caused by network problems, capacity bottlenecks or system errors also constitute an anomaly.

Rhebo has already proven the effectiveness of its industrial anomaly detection in the automation, automotive and critical infrastructure sectors. The continuity and cyber security of control networks and telecontrol systems have been ensured on several occasions.

The Rhebo Industrial Protector can be used to monitor control communication in industrial plants, including switchgear, telecontrol and network control technology. This is done seamlessly and without repercussions. A suspicious process - an anomaly - is not blocked immediately, but reported in real time. Deviating operations that could lead to system failures, such as network problems and machine malfunctions, are detected, assessed according to risk and reported. The real-time anomaly report helps the system operator to recognize changes and react immediately. kp