Copper Tough Tap

Problem: Cybersecurity and ICS/OT

When Operational Technology (OT) networks and traditional Information Technology (IT) infrastructures converge, they become prime targets for bad actors seeking to access privileged data or centralized resources. The inability to see what’s lurking inside your network, makes securing your network all that more challenging. 

The first stage before any security forensic takes place is to be able to get access to the packets in the OT network, often in remote places where temperatures and humidity might be extreme. How can you collect operational information and make them reach smart security analytics devices to identify and protect against cyber-attacks?

Solution: Bridging the OT/IT Security Gap

As communication between OT and IT networks grows, you can no longer ignore the inherent risks. Organizations need to think about establishing the proper network visibility through a sound, all-inclusive cybersecurity practice. For most utilities and industrial organizations, this involves extending the OT/IT infrastructure, and improving network visibility. Intelligent network visibility starts with network taps to capture and copy traffic from any IT or OT network — at each layer and every site.

Highlights

• Copper 10/100/1000Mbps 

• Air gapped monitor ports 

• Power over Ethernet (PoE) pass through support

• Auto Speed Negotiation

• Secure monitoring—no IP address 

• Silent operation

• Operates in harsh environments

• DIN Rail Mountable

• Fan less

• TAA Compliant

• IEEE-1613 Compliant

Copper Tough Tap – Built for Harsh Environments 

Keysight’s Industrial Copper Tough Taps are built from the ground up to meet your requirements for a first layer of packet visibility infrastructure compatible with harsh environment. Designed to withstand the industrial grade environments, Keysight taps provide out of band (OOB) monitoring for security and performance tools, duplicating all packets for full visibility. 

The Copper Tough Tap, TPAT2-CU3-T 10/100/1000Mbps is a secure Tap device which can operate as a simple tap, 2:2 packet replication (breakout on aggregation mode) or 2:1 packet replication (aggregation mode).

Breakout or Aggregation mode

When operating in breakout mode, Monitor Port A will transmit traffic received on Network Port A, and Monitor Port B will transmit traffic received on Network Port B. In non-aggregation mode, the Copper Tough Tap, TPAT2-CU3-T operates at full line rate.

When operating in aggregation Mode, the Copper Tough Tap sends copies of the aggregated traffic through two monitoring ports, allowing for a primary and secondary tool. The Copper Tough Tap scans incoming traffic from the network ports on a first-in-first-out basis. The scan rate is optimized to ensure that no packets are dropped, as long as the sum of data rates on the network ports does not exceed the monitoring port capacity of 1 Gbps.

The Copper Tough Tap supports Power over Ethernet (PoE) pass through.

For extra uptime protection, the Copper Tough Tap is supplied with redundant terminal block power connectors. Should the primary power source fail, the Tap automatically switches to the backup power source. Should both input power sources fail or be removed, the Copper Tough Tap will still pass traffic between its network ports (fail-open).