Security

Automation, Safety & Security

TDLS8200: Maintenance-free, SIL2 certified and explosion-proof

In almost every chemical production plant, it is always necessary to store various substances in containers or tank farms. Depending on the chemical substance, this can from time to time result in an explosion hazard. For this reason, elementary protection against a possible explosion must be provided. In the best case scenario, this should be done in such a way that no explosive gas mixture can form in the gas phase of the container. In the age of ever-increasing safety requirements, a current safety assessment may make it necessary to actually record the oxygen content – especially if the device in question has been classified as a SIL (safety integrity level) application.  This is exactly where Yokogawa’s TDLS8000 laser comes into play.

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Automation, Optimisation

Risk Assessment: First Step to Securing an OT Environment

Imagine this scenario: A chemical processing company decides to launch a cybersecurity program for a manufacturing plant, so it brings together an IT expert and someone from operations who is moderately well versed in the plant networks. The two have other responsibilities and complete their task quickly by inserting a smattering of security appliances at strategic points and declare the plant protected.
Meanwhile, a hacker who has been systematically analyzing the plant’s networks over several months, has a better grasp of the architecture and what assets are deployed than anyone in the facility. The hacker gained access because some system integrator, a few years ago, installed a Brand X PLC to solve a chemical injection problem. The technician left a path to access the PLC via the internet for follow-up service, but everyone has forgotten about it. The hacker is aware of a key vulnerability—a default password—with that PLC because its characteristics were published, but the plant never acted on changing it because they had forgotten it is even there. This vulnerability provides the hacker a path into the larger network through an unprotected connection from the PLC to the automation system.
While this scenario is an oversimplification, it illustrates the problems many companies face as they consider how to approach cybersecurity strategy for operations technology (OT) networks. A well-thought-out strategy will find and correct these problems, and for the rest of this article, we will look at how to implement this type of plan.

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Automation, Optimisation

Optimisation? Of course! – Part 2 of 3

In the first part of this series we have dealt with the question of what is meant by “optimizing” in this context and whether it is worthwhile to “optimize”. If one has come to a positive result for oneself, the question now arises, which possibilities there are. The following presentation of possibilities in the second of a total of three articles in this series certainly does not claim to be complete, but is intended as an incentive and source of ideas.

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