Industrial control systems (ICS) are rarely protected adequately against cyber threats, and that's a serious problem. In today's increasingly connected world, it's not if your systems will be attacked; it's when. Taking steps to protect them now is critical to avoid the risk of significant damage or life-threatening situations in the future. 

Mitigating the risk of ICS cyberattacks requires different skill sets and tools than traditional information technology (IT) cybersecurity. The stakes are far higher in a cyber threat to operational technology (OT). Failing to thoroughly address cybersecurity in this capacity can impact your equipment, your workers' lives, and your community. It's important to make sure everyone who interacts with your organization is educated to keep cybersecurity a priority.

A new whitepaper from the International Society of Automation (ISA) dives into the unique challenges of automation cybersecurity. Titled "An Industry Imperative: Build a Standards-Based Cybersecurity Culture for Employees, Customers, and Partners," it's now downloadable through a form at www.isa.org/cyberculture. 

Key findings include:

• The World Economic Forum rates a large-scale breach of cybersecurity as one of the five most serious risks facing the world today—and only 23 percent of companies follow minimum security guidance
• Securing ICS against cyberattack is a critical challenge that spans across processes, people, and technology
• ISA/IEC 62443 standards provide guidance for how to protect and secure processes, but people will ultimately implement and monitor these practices; automation suppliers and end users must find creative ways to train and certify their employees and contractors

Request your copy of "An Industry Imperative: Build a Standards-Based Cybersecurity Culture for Employees, Customers, and Partners" by filling out a form at www.isa.org/cyberculture. We'll send you a link to a .pdf file of the whitepaper that you can download or print out and share with your team.