Only the


combination of functional safety and cybersecurity ensures the overall safety of industrial plants.


Safety and security fi rst P


Malware and computer virus attacks on the


networks of industrial plants are increasing.


Source: HIMA Paul Hildebrandt. 12 www.engineerlive.com


roductivity has the highest priority for companies. It is


generally acknowledged that functional safety


protects systems and thus helps maintain this productivity. Autonomous safety controllers also help to signifi cantly reduce security risks and thus reduce lifecycle costs. Properly setting up the safety controller is the last line of defence against cyber attacks.


As cyber attacks on plants via networks increase, it becomes essential for functional safety and safety-related automation solutions to support cybersecurity. The trend of linking offi ce IT with automation IT in an open network architecture only increases the security risks to plant automation.


There is good news. SIL 3 controllers designed especially for functional safety include features that are also quite helpful for cybersecurity protection.


The basic requirements that current and future security standards


impose on the integration of safety controllers, and how autonomous safety systems (such as HIMax from Paul Hildebrandt) can help reduce the risk, are presented below.


Functional safety is the basis for any type of process plant, since without mastery of the functional safety risks, operation of the plant is not allowed.


In addition to safety, productivity is a crucial factor for the enterprise. To ensure productivity a safety system must be integrated in the plant process control system. However, such integration increases the risk that safety products will be negatively infl uenced via interfaces and networks. An attack on the integrity of the safety controller also jeopardises the integrity of functional safety. Consequently, the same demanding requirements imposed on functional safety features must also be imposed on the security features of a safety controller.


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