A new tool, OpalOPC, is providing invaluable assistance to industrial organizations in the identification of misconfigurations and vulnerabilities within OPC UA (Open Platform Communications United Architecture), a key machine-to-machine communication protocol used in various industrial control systems (ICS).
While OPC UA is essential for ensuring interoperability in the ICS realm, it can also expose organizations to significant cyber risks. Developed by Finnish cybersecurity and data privacy firm Molemmat Oy, OpalOPC serves as a vulnerability scanner tailored for OPC UA applications, catering to developers, auditors, security testers, engineers, and system integrators. The tool offers both graphical and command-line interfaces and is compatible with Windows and Linux platforms.
OpalOPC is available as a free tool for non-profit projects and organizations with annual revenues under $1 million. For larger entities, the tool is available under a licensing structure, with monthly and yearly licenses priced at €239 ($255) and €2,388 ($2,550), respectively, for a single installation.
Despite its early development stage, OpalOPC offers the promise of improving the security posture of industrial systems, particularly in light of cyber threats. As the tool evolves, additional checks and features are anticipated, with ongoing efforts to address and rectify any identified bugs.
In addition, OpalOPC provides a practical test environment for users by configuring an OPC UA server intentionally with insecure settings. This facilitates users in assessing and enhancing their understanding of the tool’s capabilities and functionality, allowing them to evaluate and improve the security of their OPC UA applications and mitigate potential cyber threats more effectively. Industrial organizations now have a valuable resource in OpalOPC to bolster their defenses against vulnerabilities and misconfigurations within OPC UA that could leave them susceptible to cyberattacks.
