Kaspersky Lab and the Brewers of Pilsner Urquell Work Together to Secure the Beverage Industry

Woburn, MA – June 11, 2018 – Today, Kaspersky Lab and Plzeňský Prazdroj are announcing the successful completion of a cybersecurity partnership to improve the overall industrial security posture of the world-famous Czech brewery, Plzeňský Prazdroj, known for producing Pilsner Urquell. Through this collaboration, the brewery was able to successfully identify possible attack vectors and security gaps in its complex IT infrastructure.

Cyberattacks against industrial networks have become prevalent in recent years, with 37.8 percent of ICS computers worldwide attacked by cyber threats in the second half of 2017, according to the Kaspersky Lab Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (Kaspersky Lab ICS CERT). Plzeňský Prazdroj takes cybersecurity very seriously and realizes that a single industrial cyberattack can have major disruptive potential and can damage industrial processes and even threaten business continuity. 

The brewery, Plzeňský Prazdroj, engaged Kaspersky Lab to help harden its industrial cybersecurity posture and improve the resistance of production lines and operational technology to cyberattacks. Kaspersky Lab undertook a thorough cybersecurity assessment (CSA), a minimally invasive remote and on-premise cybersecurity assessment. The process began with an infrastructure audit and threat model development across the two brew houses and eight packaging lines at the plant. The CSA also examined the corporate network linked to industrial zone, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) software and identified all uncontrolled external connections to and from the industrial floor. 

As a result, Kaspersky Lab experts were able to provide a list of discovered vulnerabilities, zero-day vulnerabilities, details of possible attack vectors, and actionable recommendations. Through its engagement with Kaspersky Lab, the Plzeňský Prazdroj IT security team averted potential cyberattack consequences that could negatively affect the brewery’s safety, reliability, and the company's bottom line.

“The analysis showed us significant recommendations for the security lifecycle and highlighted weaknesses in security processes,” said Miroslav Zajíc, IT analyst, Plzeňský Prazdroj. “Several areas for improvements were noted and all findings were summarized in the final report.”

“Cyber threats to industrial environments are fundamentally different to traditional threats that businesses or individuals may face both in terms of complexity and the scale of potential damage, which can be disastrous,” said Maxim Frolov, vice president of global sales, Kaspersky Lab. “Kaspersky Lab’s specialist ICS-CERT team sources the best talent from around the world to help advise organizations how protect themselves in this unique environment. Our thorough and non-invasive cybersecurity assessment for Plzensky Prazdroj identified the risks that could damage the continuity or integrity of the company’s industrial processes.”

“The decision to cooperate with Kaspersky Lab was an easy one for a number of reasons,” said Ondřej Sýkora, C&A manager, Plzeňský Prazdroj. “Their experience in the ICS cybersecurity domain, their professionalism and the versatility of their solution, in comparison with other suppliers, has given us great value and ensured a bright future for our company’s security strategy.” 

More about Kaspersky Lab’s approach and research into industrial cybersecurity can be found at https://ics.kaspersky.com/ and https://ics-cert.kaspersky.com.

About Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky Lab is a global cybersecurity company, which has been operating in the market for over 20 years. Kaspersky Lab’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into next generation security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky Lab technologies and we help 270,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.

Kaspersky Lab Media Contact: 
Denise Berard
781.503.1836
Denise.Berard@kaspersky.com