With the rapid development of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT), more and more OT/IT systems (PLC's, ICS/SCADA devices, and supporting components) are connected to IP networks. This has greatly facilitated the innovation of digitalization but also brought a tremendous risk in terms of cybersecurity. Information security has become an essential aspect in the construction of smart manufacturing systems. EtherWAN, a global leader in industrial communications and networking, partnered with Bureau Veritas in November 2020, and has successfully obtained its first IEC 62443-4-1 certification in July 2021.
Pascal Le-Ray, general manager of Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services Division, Technology Products Business Line Taiwan, pointed out that connectivity of devices, driven by the trend of smart applications, is becoming more and more popular especially after the 5G commercialization in 2019. The development of manufacturing systems, autonomous cars, the Internet of Vehicles (IoV), and other industrial fields are also accelerating. To enhance system security, a wide range of organizations have begun to establish information security standards for connected equipment. IEC 62443 is currently the most accepted standard.
Maggie Chao, general manager of EtherWAN, said that with the rise of Industry 4.0 and the IIoT, multiple connections between industrial control systems, computer operations, and server services have become the norm, and network security is the focus of most concern today. EtherWAN continues to focus on customer needs and is actively committed to the development of network security technology. The company has successfully obtained the official certification "IEC 62443-4-1 Cyber Security Standard" (maturity level for all IEC 62443-4-1 practices assessed up to Level 2) issued by the international inspection and certification group "Bureau Veritas." Obtaining the IEC 62443-4-1 certification is an important milestone, one that demonstrates the high specification requirements of EtherWAN's products and the company's determination to maintain customer cybersecurity.
As for the importance of IEC 62443 to Taiwan's industry, Pascal further indicated that in recent years, incidents of OT cyberattacks have been prevailing, and in response global industry players have been paying increased attention to information security. Under this situation, it is important for Taiwanese manufacturers to obtain certification for their products in order to grasp the corresponding business opportunities in smart manufacturing.
Obtaining the IEC62443-4-1 certificate shows that EtherWAN's product development and life cycle management procedures fully comply with industry standards. From product planning, specification definition, design, implementation, verification & validation, mass production, delivery, all the way to the operation-and-maintenance phase which includes software and hardware patches, etc., all process phases and tasks are carried out in accordance with the guidelines of IEC 62443-4-1. Not only is the efficiency of product development improved, but more importantly the quality of products is further enhanced and guaranteed. Moreover, it also shows that EtherWAN has the ability to respond immediately to product security incidents, by working with customers closely and adopting "Defense in Depth" strategies to reduce the impact and consequences caused by security related events.
After passing this first milestone, EtherWAN will make strides towards a second achievement - the implementation of IEC 62443-4-2 security requirements in EtherWAN secure products. EtherWAN will cooperate with customers to fully understand the requirements of products intended for use in their application environments, conduct risk assessment and threat modeling analysis on potential cyber security threats, complete corresponding cyber security requirement specification (CSRS), and finally implement CSRS in EtherWAN's secure products. EtherWAN's customers can obtain reliable industrial-grade cyber security solutions from EtherWAN's secure products and professional assistance.
Maggie Chao (left), GM of EtherWAN Taiwan, and Pascal Le-Ray, GM of Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services, Technology Products Taiwan
