Cyber Security: Key Topic in Production over the next 5 years

Nuremberg, 21. Nov. 2024 – Hilscher Gesellschaft für Systemautomation mbH expects security mechanisms in production plants and factories worldwide to become massively more important over the next five years. This was announced by the company at the press conference at this year's Smart Production Solutions (SPS) trade fair in Nuremberg. The company is already in the midst of implementing appropriate measures to adapt its communication solutions and developments based on them to upcoming standards such as the European Union's Cyber Resilience Act (CRA).

“New regulations such as the CRA at international level, but also national efforts such as the law to implement NIS-2 and strengthen cyber security (NIS-2UmsuCG), will result in a massive change in production and the machines and devices used there,” says Thomas Rauch, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Hilscher.

The market leader for industrial communication places the greatest focus on systems that are being digitized. “The CRA addresses devices and machines with digital elements,” explains Hilscher CTO Rauch. The view that cybersecurity is purely an IT issue or only applicable at field level is therefore no longer up to date. “All devices, including both their hardware and software, will have to comply with these regulations and must have corresponding concepts on hand,” says Rauch.

Security in IIoT with edge management

According to Hilscher, these concepts include long-term product maintenance with corresponding timely security patches, which manufacturers must guarantee. This requires an edge management platform that can be used to organize and roll out such patches across manufacturers. “With our netFIELD platform, we have long pursued the approach of avoiding proprietary solutions. When it comes to security, we can see once again that we were right to do so and believe that this approach will become even more prevalent throughout the industry in the coming years,” explains Hilscher CTO Rauch.

Fieldbus systems continue operation

Due to the still high number of fieldbus-based systems, the industrial communication expert from Hattersheim estimates that these technologies will continue to be used over the next ten years. “Legacy protocols such as PROFIBUS or CAN, for example, will not undergo any significant changes as a result of the CRA. As a result, however, they always have the decisive disadvantage that they cannot be operated safely in terms of the CRA. This will increase the pressure on fieldbus technologies significantly,” says Hilscher CTO Rauch.

Special approaches will therefore have to be taken for fieldbus systems in the field. Such systems can, for example, continue to be operated in an isolated island mode at great expense in order to avoid negative external influences. However, new approaches are needed for the development of new systems.

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Hilscher – empowering communication

Legacy protocols such as PROFIBUS or CAN, for example, will not undergo any significant changes as a result of the CRA. As a result, however, they always have the decisive disadvantage that they cannot be operated safely in terms of the CRA. This will increase the pressure on fieldbus technologies significantly.

Thomas Rauch

Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Hilscher

Thomas Rauch

Hilscher’s new netX 900 technology for safe communication

At SPS 2024, Hilscher presented further details on the new generation of multiprotocol-capable communication controllers called netX 900. Among other things, these gigabit-capable SoCs have already implemented a security management processing unit that allows users to manage various keys and certificates, for example. A crypto engine is also built in, which significantly accelerates encryption processes. A secure interface for debugging is also integrated. “With the new netX 900 controllers, we are naturally also focusing on high performance in the gigabit and 100 Mbit range,” says Hilscher CTO Rauch. But without the corresponding security mechanisms, this is only one side of the same coin.

 

Your products are affected by the CRA?

Applying new standards to existing products and processes can be very complex for companies. If a particularly sensitive issue such as cyber security further complicates matters, things quickly become critical. As a leading manufacturer of hardware and software solutions in the field of industrial communication, Hilscher plays a key role in industrial automation. Robust cybersecurity and compliance with regulatory requirements therefore are pivotal for the industrial communication specialist from Hattersheim near Frankfurt am Main.

Together with the German TÜV Rheinland as certifier and the consultant TÜV iSec Rheinland, Hilscher is in the midst of implementing the CRA and already has extensive know-how regarding the time constraints and practical implications of relevant certification processes. And users from industry can benefit from this.

 

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Frank Behnke
Head of Product and Information Security / Product & Cyber Security

Get in touch for further information about the Cyber Resilience Act and other industrial cyber security standards!

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