In the past, plant operators ensured people and machines were safe by following the qualifications of the appropriate standards and directives. Today, plant operators also need to ensure their data is safe. Thanks to the threats from the cyber world, security is now an essential element of safety. Today, production and industrial plants are highly interconnected using information technology, making their data vulnerable for attackers to intrude into automation and control systems, manipulate them and even compromise safety. This means that staff who are not IT experts have to deal with potential hazards. Industrial security deals with the security of control networks in production and industrial plants in factory automation and process control. However, it’s not always the “bad guys” who do the damage. While threats can stem from the cyber world, many security violations occur unintentionally and internally—for example, due to operating errors by colleagues and staff. The objective of industrial security is to guarantee the availability of plant and machinery and the integrity and confidentiality of machine data and processes. It begins with the access control at the plant door and extends all the way to the defense against attacks by hackers.

This session will cover the following topics:

• How safety and security are interconnected.

• Why industrial security is more than IT security.

• How to avoid cyberattacks as well as internal attacks.

• Mitigating threat measures.

• Future outlook for safety and security professionals.