Do autonomous and controllable industrial computers support customization and security hardening to prevent unauthorized access?
Publish Time: 2025-09-02
Customization and security hardening are one of the core capabilities that distinguish autonomous and controllable industrial computers from general-purpose industrial control equipment and are a crucial technical path to ensuring the safe operation of critical infrastructure. In sectors such as power, transportation, manufacturing, and energy, where system stability and data security are extremely demanding, industrial computers must not only possess strong environmental adaptability but also build a solid defense at the software level to prevent external attacks, internal leaks, and unauthorized access. Customization and security hardening are key means to achieving this goal.
Traditional industrial computers often use general-purpose operating systems and standard firmware, resulting in redundant system functions and numerous open interfaces. While this facilitates integration and maintenance, it also creates a large attack surface. Unused services, default accounts, and remote management ports can all pose security risks. Autonomous and controllable industrial computers, on the other hand, start from the bottom up, based on a domestically produced, trusted operating system platform, and are deeply customized for specific application scenarios. The system kernel and runtime services can be modularly tailored to meet specific needs, retaining only essential drivers, communication protocols, and application components while disabling or removing non-essential functional modules. This "minimal system" strategy significantly reduces the potential exposure to vulnerabilities, making it difficult for attackers to find exploitable entry points.
Security hardening is implemented throughout the entire system deployment process. Starting at the firmware level, the device supports a secure boot mechanism, ensuring that each level of boot code is digitally signed and verified, preventing malicious programs from being embedded before the system boots. At the operating system level, mandatory access control policies are implemented to provide granular control over user permissions, process behavior, and file access, preventing unauthorized operations. The system disables the remote debugging interface and autorun function by default, and restricts access to external storage devices to prevent virus transmission and data theft through media such as USB flash drives. Furthermore, integrated domestic encryption algorithms encrypt the storage and transmission of critical configuration files, log information, and communication data, ensuring that sensitive information is not leaked even if the device is lost or physically accessed.
In terms of user management, the system supports multi-level permission division, strictly isolating the operational permissions of different roles. Administrator accounts require strong passwords or two-factor authentication for login. All operations are fully recorded and an audit log is generated, facilitating traceability and accountability. For remote access, the system only opens authenticated encrypted channels. Access whitelists can be set to restrict connection sources and prevent unauthorized devices from accessing the system.
Customization is also reflected in the collaborative design of hardware and software. The motherboard BIOS, independently developed by a domestic team, features auditable and verifiable source code, eliminating pre-installed backdoors. Peripheral interfaces can be flexibly configured based on usage scenarios. For example, in a closed control system, unnecessary network or USB ports can be physically blocked to prevent unauthorized access at the hardware level. For interfaces that must be open, firewall policies and access control lists are used for strict protection.
This deep customization and security hardening capability makes the autonomous and controllable industrial computer not just a computing device, but also a trusted operating environment. It can adapt to the security policies of various industries, meeting functional requirements while building a comprehensive protection system from hardware to software, from startup to operation. This inherent security capability is particularly crucial in unmanned, widely distributed, or fuzzy industrial scenarios.
Ultimately, autonomous and controllable industrial computers, through customized tailoring and security hardening, have achieved a shift from "passive defense" to "active immunity." They are no longer open, general-purpose platforms, but rather secure terminals tailored for specific tasks, ensuring that every command execution and every data transmission occurs within a controlled environment. As the nation's critical information infrastructure increasingly emphasizes security and controllability, this capability is not only a technological advantage but also a strategic cornerstone for ensuring the stable operation of the industrial system.
