Firewalls General information on firewalls A firewall is a system component which protects individual computers, IT systems and ICS networks from attacks and data corruption/misuse. Firewalls can prevent or restrict the spread of malware. The firewall is installed at a suitable system boundary. i.e., zone boundary… Read More
Keys: PSK, private/public This topic introduces basic knowledge on keys. Pre-shared Keys (PSK) Pre-shared keys (PSKs) can be used for authentication purposes. When establishing, for example, a VPN or WLAN connection, the PSK is used for exchanging the (symmetric) session key between the applications involved. Read More
Remote access/remote maintenance Consideration: risks and benefits The increasing network capabilities of devices used to build automation infrastructures and systems enable a variety of new opportunities. Remote access to systems and data facilitates monitoring and maintenance of plants via the Internet. This saves costs, shortens the response… Read More
(Central) User management General considerations on user management If communication is allowed through a firewall or possible via local access, access should be protected by a user login. Users in this context may be human users, software processes, and devices used to build automation infrastructures and systems. Read More
Checksums and signatures Checksums Checksums indicate the integrity of data thus allowing (accidental) modification detection. By verifying checksums, manipulations and data corruption can be detected. Checksums are calculated over valid, verified and non-corrupted data. When calculating the checksum again with the same algorithm (e.g., after a… Read More
Passwords Each (human) user of a system component needs to be identified and authenticated for all access. For that purpose, passwords can be used. Further authentication methods can be, for example, biometrics (e.g. finger print scanner, face recognition), tokens, physical keys, key cards or evaluating the geographic location of… Read More
Phoenix Contact industrial security guideline Introduction The increasing interconnection of systems, components, and devices as well as the growing amount of data to be transmitted and stored (in a word: the achievements of Industry 4.0) result in a higher risk of cyber attacks. This is also promoted… Read More
Data backup and restore General considerations on data backups Data loss may not be the result of careless or erroneous actions of authorized users or defects in storage media alone, but may also be the consequence of malicious deletion or encryption of your data by unauthorized intruders. Read More
Zones and conduits (with protection needs analysis) What is a zone? A complete plant is difficult to grasp or categorize in terms of possible threats and necessary security measures. For this reason, the IEC 62443 standard divides a complete system into so-called zones. In terms of the standard,… Read More
Foundational requirements (FR) and system requirements (SR) Foundational requirements (FR) The IEC 62443 standard defines seven foundational requirements (FR). These are basic requirements regarding the security of an ICS. They are addressed to all stakeholders of a plant and used throughout the standard. FR1: Identification and authentication… Read More
