JOYSONQUIN Automotive Systems, a joint venture between SENSSUN and JOYSON Electronics, is a global automotive supplier with approximately 4,200 employees. JOYSONQUIN is currently one of the three leading suppliers of luxury interior fittings worldwide, delivering products to renowned OEMs such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche, VW/Audi, Tesla and GM. JOYSONQUIN also controls a large share of the Chinese market for air management systems, engine air intake systems and washing systems.
With development and manufacturing sites in China, the United States, Mexico, Germany, Poland and Romania, JOYSONQUIN offers global service to its customers. Thanks to the successful implementation of the macmon Premium Bundle, the company was able to meet its customers’ certification demands in record time.
Adriano Vasile, who as team leader for IT Infrastructure is responsible for IT security at JOYSONQUIN, says the following: “In collaboration with an external data protection officer and our IT system house Luithle + Luithle GmbH, we were able to pass ‘Assessment Level 2 (AL2)’ of the TISAX® certification in only a few months – and with a top score. Introducing the macmon Premium Bundle was quick and easy and provided immediate added value to our IT security. We were able to achieve implementation within only a few weeks from first contact.“
macmon supports security standards for the automotive industry based on division of labor
TISAX® – standardized security for the highly specialized automotive industry. Developed by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), TISAX® is an information and cyber security standard that is specially tailored to the requirements of the automotive industry.
The modules of the VDA ISA assessment catalog:
1. Information security
2. Data protection
3. Prototype protection
Its aim is to ensure secure processing and the trusted exchange of information between suppliers and car manufacturers. With TISAX® automotive suppliers can implement an information security certification that is specifically geared to the needs of the industry.
The requirements catalog for TISAX®certification (VDA ISA) builds on the international industry standard ISO 27001 but goes even further. It includes requirements specific to the automotive industry, such as integration of partners into the company’s own IT infrastructure, JOYSONQUIN’s production is highly precise – just like macmon’s security solution data protection and prototype protection. To obtain certification, companies must meet the requirements set out in the VDA ISA assessment catalog.
This catalog consists of three modules: 1. information security, 2. data protection and 3. prototype protection.
Information security is the main module, that is checked during every assessment, based on ISO 27001. The three additional modules are added to the assessment as needed. Aim of the module “information security” part of the TISAX®certification checks whether a company’s IT security is planned, monitored, audited and continuously improved. To achieve this, three key things are required: standardized processes, automated workflows and audit-proof reports. This is where the macmon Network Access Control IT security solution steps in.
The fast track to full network transparency and control
The “asset management” part of the TISAX® requirements deals with both information assets (data/information) and information carriers (IT/OT systems of any kind). Under these requirements, it is essential to maintain a central directory of all existing assets and the persons who are responsible for them. By using macmon NAC, JOYSONQUIN ensures the complete transparency of all devices connected to the network. Devices can be grouped and managed on the network according to various criteria, such as location, network access, device type, information content and many other properties. macmon NAC thus creates a directory of all assets connected to the network while also providing additional information such as a device’s life cycle or current location. Adriano Vasile adds: “Since the introduction of macmon NAC, we finally have full control over all endpoints. What’s more, we’re able to manage the switches centrally from the macmon console, and with just a few clicks. This was something that really wowed us right from the beginning.“
“Since the introduction of macmon NAC, we finally have full control over all endpoints [ … ] and with just a few clicks. This was something that really wowed us right from the beginning.“
Adriano Vasile | Team leader IT Infrastructure | JOYSONQUIN
Trust based on long-term partnerships
Adriano Vasile describes the process of selecting an NAC solution: “Once we had clearly formulated our customers’ demands for TISAX® certification, we turned to our partner system house. It was a huge advantage having a competent partner by our side to help us in selecting, implementing and optimizing our hardware and software structure. Luithle + Luithle GmbH is silver partners of macmon secure and has been providing proven solutions for many years. After attending a webinar on another company’s successful use of macmon NAC, I was able to quickly make the right decision.”Mitigate damage with event processing and situational responses
Incident management refers to the structured processing of information security events within an organization, with the goal of limiting possible damage and preventing recurrence. In addition to network access control and the associated policies, macmon NAC offers a separate event processing feature that can be used to respond individually to each situation. Data about endpoints and network devices is collected, processed and analyzed to generate attack events such as ARP and MAC spoofing, informal “network session started” events, and warnings such as “endpoint almost non-compliant” or “network device changed.” JOYSONQUIN has defined various reactions to these events (of which there are about 50), such as isolating an endpoint to prevent damage. All environmental variables such as location, time and person responsible can be included as conditions to facilitate individualized incident management.
Adriano Vasile is impressed by the performance of macmon NAC: “If an unauthorized device tries to log in to the network, the device is immediately and automatically
blocked to prevent access to the network. If we want to grant access to a new device, we can configure this directly in the macmon console. In just a few seconds, we can then enable the correct network (VLAN) at the remote switch port in order to grant access with a single click. This process is very convenient and saves us valuable time and stress in the IT department.”
Checking and implementing security policies for mobile endpoints
macmon NAC supports the enforcement of security policies for mobile endpoints by checking the implemented security measures – such as virus protection, Windows Firewall or patches – and by enabling organizations to take direct action. Mobile endpoints that have not logged into the JOYSONQUIN corporate network for a long time are checked in a separate quarantine network and, if necessary, updated or reconfigured. Only after passing a security check are they allowed to access the corporate network again. Security measures involving fingerprinting, WMI and SNMP are used to individually verify the integrity of these endpoints.
Adriano Vasile
Team Leader IT Infrastructure JOYSONQUIN
If an unauthorized device tries to log in to the network, the device is immediately and automatically blocked to prevent access to the network.
Control, segmentation and management of all endpoints in JOYSONQUIN’s network infrastructure
Operations security refers to an organization’s procedures for securing its IT network infrastructure, with the aim of considering information security aspects during any change to business processes – which is a very common occurrence in companies with global supply chains. It also aims to ensure the reliability, confidentiality and integrity of data. After all, an automotive manufacturer can invest several billion euros in the development of a new vehicle and is in constant competition with other manufacturers to come up with new innovations.
The basic principle of macmon NAC is to enable the management and control of a network, including all the endpoints and network devices within it.
„The basic principle of macmon NAC is to enable the management and control of a network, including all the endpoints and network devices within it..“
Adriano Vasile | Team Leader IT Infrastructure | JOYSONQUIN
Adriano Vasile explains: “We use internal firewalls to secure highly critical network areas. Only endpoints and users that have been uniquely identified by macmon NAC and have the appropriate security clearance are allowed to communicate through these firewalls. Network segmentation is both a fundamental feature of macmon NAC and one of its greatest benefits, as it enables us to create new networks more easily and roll them out quickly, which in turn reduces the amount of administrative work.” The internal IT infrastructure team can define the boundaries between segments using virtual networks (VLANs) or access control lists (ACLs) to ensure that only authorized people and devices have access to certain information services and systems.
Optimizing IT security in the automotive industry – a continuous process
JOYSONQUIN is continuously optimizing the security and performance of its IT infrastructure. After the first satisfactory implementation phase, the company gathered and evaluated its experiences of working with macmon NAC, in cooperation with IT system house Luithle+Luithle GmbH. Additional features are continually being implemented to ensure that network security is always optimized and improving. And thanks to macmon NAC’s useful interfaces to numerous technology partners, Adriano Vasile expects even more synergies in the future. Specifically, the IT infrastructure expert’s ambitious agenda includes looking at the global network infrastructure, as well as the topics of OT network security and the strategic use of cloud services.
The macmon Premium Bundle provides automotive supplier JOYSONQUIN with transparency, compliance and access control. Thanks to its acquisition by Belden, macmon secure has extended its expertise to OT networks, which in turn will lead to further optimizations, additions and enhancements for companies in the automotive industry.