The Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC), the global, public-private organization formed to accelerate adoption of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), has published the Industrial Internet Security Framework (IISF), a common security framework that addresses security issues in IIoT systems. The IISF emphasizes the importance of five IIoT characteristics – safety, reliability, resilience, security and privacy – that help define “trustworthiness” in IIoT systems. The IISF also defines risk, assessments, threats, metrics and performance indicators to help business managers protect their organizations.
The security of the Industrial Internet is of vital importance to not only the companies taking part in the IIoT, but also every person using their services, and even governments that need to be assured of the security of vital infrastructure.
“Today, many industrial systems simply do not have adequate security in place,” said Dr. Richard Soley, Executive Director, IIC. “The level of security found in the consumer Internet just won't do for the Industrial Internet. In order to add security to an industrial system, you must make sure it won’t interfere with safety and reliability requirements. The IISF explores solutions to industrial problems that have plagued the industry for years. The IIC is also putting the IISF vision into practice in our test bed program.”
The IISF is designed to deliver security for business, functional and implementation perspectives and help business managers within industrial organizations make informed decisions based on well-designed risk assessments.
“Ensuring a safe and secure digitally connected environment is at the heart of ABB’s Internet of Things, Services and People strategy, and we are pleased to work with the Industrial Internet Consortium on strategies and best practices that put cyber security into a business context and is based on an in-depth understanding of risk management,” said Markus Braendle, head of Cyber Security, ABB.
The IISF breaks the industrial space down into three roles: the component builders, the system builders, and the operational users. The component builders create hardware and software; the system builders combine hardware and software solutions to create systems; and the operational users are the owner/operators of the systems who manage the risk to their industrial processes posed by the systems.
“Every Industrial Internet of Things project must incorporate security throughout, but doing it properly in an industrial setting means dealing with many levels and dimensions of complexity,” said Greg Gorbach, VP, ARC Advisory Group. “The IISF security framework provides a comprehensive approach to ensure that all the bases are covered so risk is minimized.”
The IISF is available free of charge. For more information about the IISF, click here.
Edited by
Maurice Nagle
