You can reply here or send an email. gmintchell@automationworld.com Thanks for your insights.
]]>Moderator:
Patrick Miller
Technical Director, NERC CIP Practice
ICF International
millerpatrick.c@gmail.com
Panelists:
Eric Byres
Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer
Byres Security Inc.
eric@byressecurity.com
Andrew Ginter
Chief Technology Officer
Industrial Defender
aginter@industrialdefender.com
Dale Peterson
Founder and Director of the Control System Security Practice
Digital Bond, Inc.
peterson@digitalbond.com
Mark Zanotti
Vice President of Engineering and CTO
Lofty Perch, Inc.
mzanotti@loftyperch.com
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The promo copy reads, "Industry experts cut through the noise to analyze the impact of the reported malware targeting Siemens Simatic WinCC SCADA systems and the implications for Industrial Control Systems operators, vendors and security providers."
When: Tuesday July 27th, 11 am - 12 noon eastern time
Moderator: Patrick C. Miller - ICF International
Panelists:
Eric Byres - Tofino
Andrew Ginter - Industrial Defender
Dale Peterson - Digital Bond
Mark Zanotti - Lofty Perch
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First, he predicts that good times are ahead for packaging machinery. Why, especially in this still stagnant economy? "Because the only way to increase earnings on weak sales is through gains in productivity."
Then he notes that the bar for entry level workers in manufacturing continues to be raised. He received a call asking if he knew where to find graduating students from a mechatronics education program to fill entry level operator positions.
Yes, Keith is right, there. The era of unskilled people earning middle-class incomes (if such a thing exists in today's America) in manufacturing is long over. If you're unskilled, you can find some jobs in manufacturing. But the pay will be just above minimum wage--and you'll probably be a temporary worker. Manufacturing jobs that pay a reasonable wage will require education, training and skills.
]]>The first week in August feature National Instruments' NI Week. Also that week is the PTO annual general meeting. I'll be in Austin with NI. Automation World's digital managing editor Grant Gerke will be covering the US Profibus event in Phoenix.
This year appears to be a little slender in events. The next one I'll be at is Emerson Exchange, this year in San Antonio, Sept. 27-Oct. 1.
Then is mid-October (18-20) is the Invensys Ops Manage Conference in Orlando.
The first week of November features duelling events. I'll be in Orlando at Rockwell Automation's Process Systems User Group Nov. 1-2 and Automation Fair Nov. 3-4. Meanwhile Managing Editor Wes Iversen and the rest of the staff will be at Chicago's McCormick Place at Pack Expo.
“In March, the WirelessHart specification was approved by the International Electrotechnical Commission as a full international standard (IEC 62591Ed. 1.0),” says Ron Helson, Executive Director of the Hart Communication Foundation. “Approval as a European National Standard further confirms acceptance of the technology by users and suppliers as a technically sound, reliable and secure solution for wireless communication in process automation.”
The IEC Standard was approved by CENELEC as a European Standard without any modification. According to the announcement of approval issued by CENELEC, “members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration”.
A growing number of WirelessHart compatible products are available today from major global suppliers including ABB, Emerson, Endress+Hauser, MACTek, Nivis, Phoenix Contact, Pepperl+Fuchs, Siemens and others.
Released in September 2007, WirelessHart is an open and interoperable wireless communication standard designed to address the critical needs of industry for reliable, robust and secure wireless communication in real-time industrial process measurement and control applications.
WirelessHart is a backward compatible, evolutionary enhancement to the Hart Communication Protocol, the leading communication technology for intelligent process measurement and control field devices and systems with more than 30 million devices installed and operating in process plant applications around the globe.
The CEN was founded in 1961. Its 30 national members work together to develop European Standards (ENs) in various sectors to build a European internal market for goods and services and to position Europe in the global economy. CENELEC is a non-profit technical organization set up under Belgian law. CENELEC members have been working together in the interests of European harmonization since the 1950s, creating both standards requested by the market and harmonized standards in support of European legislation.
The Hart Communication Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit membership organization that provides global support for the application of Hart technology. The Foundation is the technology owner, standards setting body and central authority on the Hart Communication Protocol, establishing and controlling new technology developments and enhancements that support the needs of the process automation industry. Founded in 1993, Foundation membership includes more than 230 companies worldwide.
]]>I put both in the same sentence, because often safety problems and security problems stem from a common root cause--a pattern of risky behaviors by people. Sometimes there is lack of company policy. Sometimes lack of oversight. Sometimes just small decisions that don't appear by themselves to be risky but that when added to others create a pattern or environment of risk.
The attack on Siemens actually exploited a Microsoft Windows hole. But the hole only works if a person comes into possession of an infected USB stick--and inserts it into a PC that allows these devices to automatically boot and load into the PC. Either a risky behavior, or a security breech where an unauthorized person has access to a PC.
The problems in the Gulf appear also to have been the result of the build up of small decisions that cumulated into a large problem. Today in The New York Times, a worker alleges that the oil rig alarm was not fully turned on so that workers wouldn't be awakened.
Meanwhile Computerworld (the source of my first learning of the Siemens virus) has followed up with more information about the worm.
The New York Times also has an article discussing how we learn from disasters.
Eric Murphy at the OPC Exchange blog weighed in on security. He rightly points out that OPC itself has used part of its recent upgrade to enhance security.
While I'm on the subject of OPC, I'll point to Tom Burke's blog where he announces the OPC Foundation Certification Lab.
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