HOUSTON, Oct. 5, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Invensys Process Systems today introduced important new services designed to further enhance the security of the company's Foxboro-brand I/A Series automation systems. In development for more than two years, the new Site Security Review Service and the System Security Hardening Service are both part of Invensys' expanding suite of LifeTime Performance Improvement Services, which now also includes both Loop Management and Alarm Management services. These services work together to enable customers to maximize the performance of their installed automation assets.
"The industrial automation industry has been moving away from proprietary technology to more open and interoperable control systems. As underscored by a recent US government report1, this trend clearly increases the potential vulnerability of these systems to cyber attacks via the Internet and from other external and internal network intrusions," said Ernest Rakaczky, director of process control network security at Invensys Process Systems.
"Even though our I/A Series systems are designed with many built-in security mechanisms, we strongly encourage users not to become complacent. Since process control systems are typically used to manage and control industrial processes in refineries, chemical plants, power plants, water treatment plants, and other critical sites, it is becoming increasingly important to carefully evaluate potential vulnerabilities and then take appropriate steps to further harden these systems against potential threats," said Rakaczky.
According to a new Invensys white paper, "Intrusion Prevention in a Control Systems Environment," the first step in building a solid defense against process control network intrusions is to develop a sitewide security policy statement and then define the requirements needed to implement a secure process environment. "Only after specific security goals are clear, can an effective plan be developed," Rakaczky said.
Invensys' new Site Security Review Service and System Security Hardening Service are designed to help users develop an effective security plan, identify specific site vulnerabilities, and protect against potentially catastrophic intrusions.
For more information, or for a complimentary copy of the Invensys white papers, "Intrusion Prevention in a Control Systems Environment" and "Process Control Network - Reference Architecture," readers should contact the Invensys Customer Satisfaction Center toll-free at 866-746-6477 (outside of the US and Canada: 508-549-2424) or via email at [email protected].
About Invensys Process Systems
Process Systems, a business unit of Invensys plc, provides products, services and solutions for the automation and optimization of industrial process plants. Invensys Process Systems includes industry-leading brands such as Foxboro, Triconex, SimSci-Esscor, Wonderware, and Avantis, whose products are installed in more than 100,000 plants across the world. These range from small hybrid and batch plants to the world's largest refineries, gas plants, petrochemicals plants, power plants, and pulp and paper mills. The UK-based Invensys Group (www.invensys.com) has 35,000 employees and operates in 60 countries.
1. "Critical Infrastructure Protection - Challenges and Efforts to Secure Control Systems," U.S. General Accounting Office, March 2004
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