Plant forum addresses control-system security

Control-system security has come a long way in a short time. And so has its complexity, given manufacturer's growing desire to give enterprise systems access to data contained in control systems.

A further complication is the Internet, which potentially opens up control systems to cyberspace criminals. That fact has sparked alarm among not just those managing plants, but people in the federal government concerned with the integrity of the nation's industrial infrastructure.

“We've developed a practice around security going on five years to help customers identify weaknesses, define policies, conduct risk assessments, and implement solutions,” says Ernest Rakaczky, cyber security program director at Invensys Process Systems.

Now Invensys and other plant automation vendors—including ABB, Allen-Bradley, Honeywell, Rockwell Automation, and Wonderware—have closed ranks under the auspices of the National Cyber Security Division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to collectively address infrastructure security. Together these companies comprise the Control Systems Cyber Security Vendors Forum, which will promote cyber security for control systems.

According to Jeff Hahn of the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), the forum is an outreach arm of the US-CERT Control System Security Program.

“The goal of the DHS is to reduce the risk for control systems and critical infrastructure,” says Hahn. “The critical infrastructure is privately owned. We need to work with vendors to provide the information, tools, and products that industry needs to be secure.”