Industrial organizations are looking for solutions to maintain their operations in order to keep a competitive position as the global supply chain continues to be disrupted. Organizations are using cutting-edge networking technology to track, transmit, and eventually turn data into insightful knowledge to quicken the digitization process. Furthermore, connected equipment exposes business owners to new cybersecurity vulnerabilities, demanding component-level security skills to control these threats. Manufacturers will implement connected technology in products to increase reliability, leading to an increase in uptime, and more efficient maintenance supply chains.

As more assets are connected and new technologies are routinely included in products, networking components are becoming more and more crucial. In order to guarantee data accessibility, integrity, and security, industrial companies that wish to take advantage of the expanded services that may be provided by connecting more devices should indeed keep in mind that they are doing this securely and in line with regulations and guidelines.

IEC 62443 in a Nutshell

The security framework for industrial control systems is outlined by a number of standards and among them is IEC 62443 standard, the most widely used and regularly adopted one. IEC 62443 contains guidelines that specify how to develop electronically secure IACS for various network components. This standard also contains instructions for people who manage automation and carry out other tasks on the network and the IEC 62443 standard's device subsection is now often mandated by the system integrators.

Make the network more secure

- A defined set of policies and security management system

To assist owners in obtaining the most recent information about the security posture, visualization software must be deployed once the policies and security management system have been confirmed.

- Defending IACS networks from cyberattacks with defense-in-depth

Partitioning systems into zones and conduits is recommended by a defense-in-depth strategy because it reduces risks to amounts that a business can tolerate. 

Network operators must make sure that the security level allocated to each zone and conduit is followed. Through the utilization of industrial secured routers, VPNs, and wireless access solutions designed for industrial automation, the defense-in-depth strategy could be implemented with either physical or logical segregation. Also, some networking capabilities, like ACLs (Access control lists), could assist in partitioning networks to achieve different security levels.

- Embedded security features in hardened devices

Asset owners and SIs can guarantee that their systems reach the required security standards by using the building blocks with built-in security. 

Requirements for Automation Industry Regulations in IEC 62443-4-2

Different subsections of IEC 62443 relate to different responsibilities. This subsection, which establishes requirements for component suppliers under IEC 62443-4-2, is becoming more and more important as SIs constantly demand compliance. The foundational requirements, such as identifiers, authenticators, password-based authentication, public key authentication, data integrity, privacy, and also backup for resource availability, provide the basis for the component requirements.

Network operators will be best equipped to defend their networks against cyberattacks if component providers meet the standards outlined in the IEC 62443-4-2 subsection. While specific features and capabilities must be added by component suppliers for their devices to be suited for deployment on Industrial IoT networks, it is the responsibility of network operators to make use of these features throughout their network.

They must also keep in mind that everyone who has access to the network is aware of the proper procedures and regulations stated in the IEC 62443-4-2 subsection.

Every instruction outlined in the IEC 62443-4-2 will generally yield a number of benefits that significantly improve network security. However, failing to adhere to the guidelines might have damaging effects, making the network less secure and leaving the door open to cyberattacks.

Services offered by Moxa

Moxa has developed the EDS-4000/G4000 Series, which follows the software development lifecycle guidelines of IEC 62443-4-1, as one of the world's first IEC 62443-4-2 certified Ethernet switches. Moxa's industrial networking devices bring customers a wide range of options for enhancing their network security.

Easy World's Moxa's official distributor in the Middle East. For any further information please contact us via sales@eworldme.com.