- March 10, 2021
- Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
The ISA99 standards committee—lead developer of the widely used ISA/IEC 62443 series of standards on industrial automation and control systems security—and the NATO Energy Security Center for Excellence have signed a letter of intent for cooperation in the exchange of information and collaboration pertaining to the application of cybersecurity standards and guidelines in the energy sector.
The NATO Energy Security Center for Excellence (NATO ENSEC COE) became interested in applying the ISA/IEC 62443 standards during the course of a 2018-2019 cyber risk study of the industrial control systems used in the NATO Central Europe pipeline system, according to Vytautas Butrimas, who spearheaded the agreement and now represents NATO ENSEC COE on ISA99. “With this agreement,” Butrimas stated, “we look forward to exploring new ways of collaboration with ISA to improve the safety, reliability, and performance of the backbone technologies that support economic activity, national security, and well-being of our societies.”
The ISA/IEC 62443 standards are developed primarily by the ISA99 committee with simultaneous review and adoption by the Geneva-based International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). ISA99 draws on the input of cybersecurity experts across the globe in developing consensus standards that are applicable to all industry sectors and critical infrastructure, providing a flexible and comprehensive framework to address and mitigate current and future security vulnerabilities in industrial automation and control systems.
The agreement with NATO ENSEC COE is the latest in a string of notable milestones in the ongoing development and growing global application of the ISA/IEC 62443 series. It follows a previous decision by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe to integrate the standards into its Common Regulatory Framework on Cybersecurity, which serves as an official UN policy position statement for Europe.
The ISA/IEC 62443 standards are available at http://www.isa.org/findstandards. In addition, ISA offers extensive training resources on cybersecurity as well as safety, fundamentals, and other topics in industrial automation and control systems. Visit http://www.isa.org/training for information.
For more information on ISA99 and the ISA/IEC 62443 series of standards, contact Eliana Brazda, ISA Standards, ebrazda@isa.org or +1-919-990-9200.
About ISA
The International Society of Automation (ISA) is a non-profit professional association founded in 1945 to create a better world through automation. ISA advances technical competence by connecting the automation community to achieve operational excellence. The organization develops widely-used global standards; certifies industry professionals; provides education and training; publishes books and technical articles; hosts conferences and exhibits; and provides networking and career development programs for its 40,000 members and 400,000 customers around the world.
ISA created the ISA Global Cybersecurity Alliance (http://isa.org/ISAGCA) to advance cybersecurity readiness and awareness in manufacturing and critical infrastructure facilities and processes. The Alliance brings end-user companies, automation and control systems providers, IT infrastructure providers, services providers, and system integrators and other cybersecurity stakeholder organizations together to proactively address growing threats.
ISA owns Automation.com, a leading online publisher of automation-related content, and is the founding sponsor of The Automation Federation (http://automationfederation.org), an association of non-profit organizations serving as “The Voice of Automation.” Through a wholly owned subsidiary, ISA bridges the gap between standards and their implementation with the ISA Security Compliance Institute (http://isasecure.org) and the ISA Wireless Compliance Institute (http://isa100wci.org).