Why is Cybersecurity Important to your Organisation? 

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Cybersecurity assures the proper functioning of your automation systems. The arrival of the Stuxnet malware in 2010 confirmed that industrial systems could be targeted successfully. This was a game-changer: if a cyberattack disables your IT infrastructure it’s inconvenient and you may lose money and data, but if that computer is performing a safety critical function the consequences can be severe. The Triton attack on a petrochemical facility in 2017 manipulated the process control system and disabled the safety instrumented system. By pure luck a catastrophe was avoided but the warning was clear: a cyber-attack can simultaneously target independent layers of protection and sabotage your plant.

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What is the Challenge?

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As companies digitalise their assets, migrate to cloud computing, and shift to remote working they increase their connectivity and vulnerability to cyber-attack. In addition, most legacy systems have components that were never designed nor configured with cybersecurity in mind. Some companies are also high-profile targets because of their perceived environmental damage or corporate greed so the likelihood of an attack increases. There needs to be a careful balance between the opportunities created by digitalisation and the increased cybersecurity threats.

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What is the Solution?

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The industrial cybersecurity standards recognise that digital assets need to be managed over their full lifecycle as follows: create a philosophy, perform a risk assessment, specify the requirements, engineer the system, install and validate, operate and maintain, measure the performance, manage change, and decommission.

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How can A&A help?

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A&A can provided consultancy services across the full cybersecurity lifecycle and provide training to ensure personal competence. A good place to start is to download our free guide, Cybersecurity: a Practical Guide by clicking on the button below.