Janus Perspective —— AI Microsegmentation: The Final Mile of Semiconductor Equipment Cybersecurity

In semiconductor manufacturing, every step of the process depends on highly automated equipment. From wafer loaders, photolithography steppers/scanners, and wet benches to etching systems, CMP polishers, gas delivery modules, and vacuum degassers (photoresist de-bubbling units), these machines are connected via Ethernet and industrial control protocols, forming a vast internal network — the fab’s digital nervous system.

However, this intra-fab connectivity also means shared risk. Once a single piece of equipment is compromised, attackers can move laterally across the network — exploiting backdoors, software vulnerabilities, or even social engineering. In such an interconnected environment, a single infected node can halt the entire production line, leading to downtime and millions of dollars in potential losses.

Why Fine-Grained Network Segmentation Matters in Semiconductor Security

In semiconductor fabs, network segmentation is the cornerstone of internal cybersecurity.

Traditionally, there are two approaches:

1. Deploying a powerful firewall at the factory gateway

   This perimeter firewall blocks external attacks and ensures that incoming traffic doesn’t affect production systems. However, it cannot stop internal threats. If malware enters through a maintenance laptop or compromised equipment, it can spread laterally between process zones. Deploying additional internal firewalls helps, but configuring and maintaining these rules manually is labor-intensive and error-prone.

   
   

2. Equipment vendors embedding firewalls before shipment

   Some suppliers preinstall internal firewalls on their tools to achieve microsegmentation at the equipment level, which is also the core spirit of the SEMI E187 standard — ensuring cybersecurity hardening before shipment. However, after installation, these security devices still need to be configured and managed by the fab’s IT engineers, creating an operational gap between the supplier and the manufacturer.

The Real Issue Isn’t “One More Firewall,” But “Who Manages It?”

Whether it’s the fab or the equipment vendor, buying and installing firewalls isn’t the challenge — managing them effectively is.

Key questions remain:

• Who will maintain hundreds of individual security rules across diverse process tools?

• Who will reconfigure settings during equipment maintenance or process updates?

• How can this be done without disrupting production?

The answer is automation.

Without it, even the strongest firewall becomes an operational burden.

Janus’ Solution: AI-Driven Automated Microsegmentation Filling the Gaps of Traditional Firewalls

This is where Janus netKeeper comes in — not to replace traditional firewalls, but to augment and automate their function inside the fab.

1. AI Behavioral Learning

   netKeeper automatically learns communication patterns among process tools, building a dynamic allowlist to differentiate normal process flows from potential threats in real time.

   
   

2. Intelligent Microsegmentation

   Each piece of equipment becomes an isolated microsegment, ensuring that even if one tool is compromised, lateral movement to other systems is blocked instantly.

   
   

3. Zero-Trust Enforcement

   netKeeper enforces Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) — no device is trusted by default, and any unverified communication is automatically restricted.

   
   

4. Continuous Visibility and Compliance

   The platform provides real-time dashboards and audit-ready logs, aligning with SEMI E187 requirements around network configuration, access control, and monitoring.

The Value of AI Protection: Security Without Human Overhead

Previously, internal network segmentation in fabs required extensive manual configuration and oversight. Today, AI can handle this automatically.

Janus netKeeper acts like a 24/7 autonomous cybersecurity engineer, continuously monitoring, learning, and adapting to new network behaviors.

For semiconductor manufacturers, this means:

1. Reduced internal attack and downtime risk

2. Lower operational overhead and faster incident response

3. Simplified compliance with SEMI E187 network security requirements

   
   

Conclusion

In the intricate web of semiconductor production, every connected device can be a potential risk node. AI-driven automated microsegmentation turns the firewall from a static perimeter defense into an intelligent, adaptive security layer across the entire process network.

Janus netKeeper stands as the final mile of protection — an automated, AI-powered firewall that ensures every machine and every connection operates safely within a Zero Trust environment.

Learn more about how Janus netKeeper helps semiconductor suppliers achieve SEMI E187 compliance: Janus Cyber Official Website