Protecting Industrial Control Systems From Advanced Cyber Threats

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May 25, 2018

As the industrial and manufacturing sectors continue to shift from centralized to decentralized operations, the world of production as we know it will change completely. This new era, commonly referred to as the fourth industrial revolution or Industry 4.0, is characterized by smart manufacturing processes where a plethora of intelligent machines, systems, and networks manage production by independently exchanging and responding to information. 

As the industrial and manufacturing sectors continue to shift from centralized to decentralized operations, the world of production as we know it will change completely. This new era, commonly referred to as the fourth industrial revolution or Industry 4.0, is characterized by smart manufacturing processes where a plethora of intelligent machines, systems, and networks manage production by independently exchanging and responding to information. But connecting these assets through wired and wireless networks poses significant risks, demanding cybersecurity and functional safety solutions that help protect physical safety, systems and private information.

When it comes to industrial control systems, cybersecurity evaluation becomes a necessary extension of functional safety. While functional safety helps to ensure that a system is able to  detect a potentially dangerous condition and deploy a corrective/protective device or mechanism to avoid hazardous events, cybersecurity helps ensure that these industrial systems, which leverage IIoT, are adequately protected from cyber-attacks that target the systems’ physical functions. Only when both of these evaluations are combined can an organization get a complete picture of the safety and security of its ICS.

A new whitepaper from CSA discusses

The Rise of Automation and the Industrial Internet of Things
If the Risks Outweigh the Benefits• Comparing the IT/OT Landscape
Common Threats and Security Gaps• Best Practices in ICS Cybersecurity
The Need to Pair Functional Safety Evaluation and Cybersecurity

Download the whitepaper: https://www.csagroup.org/article/protecting-industrial-control-systems-advanced-cyber-threats/

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