Siemens Energy Receives Cybersecurity Certification for Its SPPA-T3000 Control System
February 2, 2022
Global certification service provider TÜV SÜD has confirmed the cybersecurity of Siemens Energy’s proven SPPA-T3000 control system by awarding IEC 62443-3-3 and IEC 62443-4-1 certifications. This makes Siemens Energy the one of the few major suppliers of power plant control technology to hold this certification. It enables SPPA-T3000 customers to demonstrate the cybersecurity of their assets to regulators, insurers, investors and the public and simplifies proof of compliance with regulatory requirements in Europe and the USA such as KRITIS or NERC CIP.
IEC 62443 is a major standard for IT security for industrial control and automation systems and one of the world’s most comprehensive cybersecurity standards. It provides a holistic security framework for operators and their service providers as well as product suppliers. It covers processes, people, and technologies in all phases of a system’s lifecycle. Part 3-3 includes system security requirements and security levels, part 4-1 covers secure product development lifecycle requirements.
The certification covers the SPPA-T3000 control system and its product and service lifecycle management process, which ensures that the requirements will continue to be met in the future.
“With the cybersecurity certification of our proven SPPA-T3000 control system, we are setting an important example in the market and underlining our claim to leadership in the field of cybersecurity in the energy industry,” says Laura Anderson, Senior Vice President Service Controls and Digitalization at Siemens Energy. “The certificate not only gives our customers security, but also makes it easier for them to provide the required proof of their system’s cybersecurity in an environment of ever-stricter regulations. In addition, it gives them planning security, as development will steadily progress within the scope of the certification requirements.”
Thanks to decades of experience and development, SPPA-T3000 is one of the most proven, reliable and powerful power plant control systems in the world. With the IEC 62443 certification, we have now also received independent proof that our system meets the highest cyber security standards. With advanced functionalities such as security information and event management (SIEM) or network intrusion detection (NIDS), we make it even easier for our customers to protect their assets effectively,” adds Anderson.
The growing networking of components and systems in industrial plants is also increasing the risk of cyberattacks. While corporate IT has usually been the focus of malicious hacker attacks, the threat level for operational technology (OT) is rapidly growing. Successful attacks on OT can lead not only to financial losses and a damaged reputation, but in the worst case to power outages, damaged assets, or serious danger to people. Since many companies do not have a sufficient strategy in place to adequately protect their OT, control systems such as SPPA-T3000 play a critical role in OT cybersecurity.
To protect critical infrastructure, many governments around the world are imposing increasingly stringent cybersecurity regulations on operators. While some regions, such as the European Union, are taking a more rigid and comprehensive approach, other countries are relying on industrial regulations and self-regulatory approaches. These regulatory requirements present new challenges for plant operators, and standardized cybersecurity certifications are an important way of proving the required evidence.
