INTRODUCING: NUCLEAR GRADE COMPUTERS

As the number of cyber attacks on computers and other digital systems continue to increase, it has become vital for companies to establish effective security systems. That new reality is particularly poignant in the nuclear industry, where a successful cyber-attack on a nuclear plant could have devastating real-world impacts.

To meet a growing demand for cyber security within the nuclear industry, Alithya has taken initiatives to address the specific needs and concerns of stakeholders. With decades of experience in the nuclear industry developing cyber security solutions, conforming to nuclear standards through our Nuclear Quality Management System, and ensuring the highest levels of nuclear compliance for our own practices, Alithya professionals are knowledgeable and experienced with safety practices that have made the nuclear power industry one of the most highly regulated in the world.

In keeping with that commitment, Alithya has leveraged the expertise of its professionals to develop an advanced Nuclear Grade Computer using cyber hardening, a critical component of a system’s security that is designed to significantly reduce susceptibility to attacks. The security infrastructure designed by Alithya experts includes cyber security controls that are fully compliant with CSA N299.1, CSA N290.14-15, and CSA N290.7-14 standards, and implementation of the system can be accommodated in two ways:

• By replacing legacy hardware and creating a hardware-independent virtual machine for existing applications to run on, our experts can port an existing computer to Nuclear Grade status, ensuring that it is cyber security compliant.
• Alithya can build and supply a clean, cyber-hardened computer that is fully configurable by, and custom-tailored for, the end-user.

In either case, Alithya provides the end user with a hardened MS Windows 10 build, consisting of a virtual machine, backup/restore software application, antivirus, and whitelisting.

Alithya’s comprehensive accompanying documentation includes a Software Qualification Report, a Software Maintenance Plan, a Factory Acceptance Test Plan / Report, a hardware inspection report, and a cyber security checklist.

Further supporting our hardware solutions, Alithya’s cyber security services include end-to-end program lifecycle development, enhancements to existing security programs and governance, asset identification, risk-based classification, and full implementation of cyber security controls. Additionally, assessments of cyber security posture for new or existing Critical Digital Assets (CDAs) and Cyber Essential Assets (CEAs) offers nuclear industry clients even greater protection.

In an age of malicious attacks spanning the globe, advancing cyber security in the nuclear industry, including migrating to Alithya’s Nuclear Grade Computers, can help mitigate safety and reputational risk, while also reducing delivery lead time. Our expertise in cyber security, and our decades of experience in the nuclear industry, can help clients to establish virtualization aimed at reducing malware spread, establishing hardware independence, and regaining peace of mind.