ISA99 Forms Cybersecurity Task Group to Analyze ANSI/ISA99 Standards Dealing With Stuxnet Malware

ISA announces that the ISA99 standards committee on Industrial Automation and Control Systems Security formed a task group to conduct a gap analysis of the current ANSI/ISA99 standards with respect to the rapidly evolving threat landscape, as demonstrated by the highly publicized Stuxnet malware. The purpose is to determine if companies following the ISA99 standards would have been protected from such sophisticated attacks and to identify changes needed, if any, to the standards being developed by the ISA99 committee. The new task group intends to produce a technical report summarizing the results of its analysis by mid-2011.

The ANSI/ISA99 standards address the vital issue of cybersecurity for industrial automation and control systems. The standards describe the basic concepts and models related to cybersecurity, as well as the elements contained in a cybersecurity management system for use in the industrial automation and control systems environment. They also provide guidance on how to meet the requirements described for each element.

The ANSI/ISA99 standards form the base documents for the IEC 62443 series of industrial automation security standards. Over the next few years, these standards will become core international standards for protecting critical industrial infrastructures that directly impact human safety, health, and the environment; and, likely will be extended to other areas of application, even broader than those generically labelled "SCADA." Based on this, it is essential that industrial companies following IEC 62443 standards know they will be able to stop the next Stuxnet. The work of the new ISA99 task group will have a significant impact on ensuring that automation facilities are secure in the future.

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