IEC 62443

Functional safety (safety) and cyber security (security) are key aspects of modern industry and technology. Safety aims to minimize risks posed by system malfunctions. This includes measures to protect people and the environment from failures and errors within systems. Security focuses on protecting systems and networks from digital attacks. The primary security objectives include ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability. A joint consideration of safety and security is essential for the future of the process industry, as both the physical safety and digital integrity of modern systems must be ensured. In industrial practice, this creates a field of tension: measures to enhance security can negatively impact safety and vice versa. This article analyzes relevant standards and regulations, presents key approaches for the integrated consideration of safety and security, and highlights areas of further research.

After a delayed start, in the last years OT security has substantially caught up with IT security. Many technical IT security controls are also available for machines and plants. But the maturity distribution in the field of OT is more complex and fragmented, as shown in the present article. Certain fundamental issues and contradictions of IT security become particularly obvious here and might need to be solved within OT security.