Communication Security
As the Industrial IoT landscape evolves, an increasing number of devices used in industrial control systems are becoming interconnected and intelligent. While this trend allows for more efficient operations, it also increases the need for more robust security measures to protect your data. Maple Systems takes your security seriously, making sure that our devices hold to strict communication security standards so you can rest easy knowing that your data is safe.
To protect user data, Maple Systems HMIs offer encryption capabilities across any applications involving data exchanges, whether it’s device-to-device, device-to-host, or connections to third-party cloud services. Let’s explore the communication security solutions we currently employ:
Data Integration
All site-level communications, including HMI-to-HMI interactions, OPC/UA, FTP transfers, and SQL database connections, are encrypted to secure data transfers between HMIs or from HMIs to host servers. This encryption also extends to external connections like MQTT, enhancing security when connecting to third-party cloud platforms.
Web Management
Our web-based management interface, EasyWeb 2.0, uses HTTPS to encrypt all web activities, including WebView monitoring, HMI project management, and data or event log viewing. HTTPS ensures that EasyWeb 2.0 provides both convenience and high security for web-based user interactions.
Remote Access
Remote access features allow you to quickly access your devices from anywhere in the world. The EasyAccess 2.0 application allows you to create a secure, fully-encrypted VPN tunnel between remote networks. By using a 128-bit SSL connection, EasyAccess 2.0 makes remote access easy to set up while maintaining your security.
Email Notifications
Being able to receive alarm notifications through email or SMS can help you respond quickly during an emergency. Our free HMI programming software, EBPro, allows you to send your important event notifications securely by using the stringent TLS encryption standard.
Enabling Security Features
EBPro makes it easy to secure your communications. The following table shows you how to quickly implement the features discussed above:
| HMI to HMI | Enable secure communication for each device in the EBPro System Parameters. |
| OPC/UA | Choose a [Security Policy] with encryption. |
| MQTT | Enable encryption in TLS/SSL settings. |
| SQL | Enable encryption in TLS/SSL settings. |
| FTP Transfer | Choose an encrypted connection type, i.e., Implicit/Explicit FTP over TLS. |
| EasyAccess 2.0 | No action required. All communications are encrypted by default. |
| Enable TLS encryption in the [Email] section of the System Parameters. | |
| EasyWeb 2.0 | Enable HTTPS on the Security page. All data transmissions over the web will be forced to use HTTPS. |
Using these methods, Maple Systems ensures that all data transmitted between your devices is encrypted, safeguarding critical production information and proprietary processes from potential interception or eavesdropping. For more information on what Maple Systems devices can do for you, please contact our sales team at (425)-745-3229.