OPAF partners with ISA on specifications for cybersecurity standards

Research Triangle Park, NC-based ISA, a global professional society comprised of automation engineers and technicians, has entered into an agreement with The Open Group Open Process Automation Forum (OPAF) to facilitate cybersecurity testing of prototype O-PAS compliant components.

The agreement licenses the ISASecure certification specifications for use by OPAF as the basis for conducting assessments and issuing reports.

The ISASecure cybersecurity certification scheme certifies to the internationally adopted series of industrial cybersecurity standards, ISA/IEC 62443.

The ISASecure certification independently certifies that automation, control systems and IOT devices are free of known vulnerabilities, robust against network attacks, and meet the security capabilities defined in the ISA/IEC 62443 standards.

Under this arrangement prototype O-PAS components will receive assessment reports based on the ISASecure conformance specifications. Exida, the first ISASecure ISO 17065 accredited certification body, will conduct the O-PAS cybersecurity assessments via a special arrangement with the ISASecure program.

When market-ready O-PAS components become available they can be submitted for certification testing to any one of the ISASecure ISO 17065 accredited certification bodies and receive globally recognized ISASecure certificates of conformance to the ISA/IEC 62443 standards.

“ISASecure is well known and thoroughly vetted by many current members of OPAF,” stated Ed Harrington, forum director of OPAF. “This arrangement is a natural fit for our prototype phase of the O-PAS program and when O-PAS is a commercial reality.”

The ISASecure cybersecurity certification is designed to help the industry navigate the ever-changing digital landscape and recognize products with enhanced cybersecurity measures.

“ISA developed the ISASecure cybersecurity certification to provide asset owners assurances of cybersecurity in their automation and control systems and to promote supplier best practices that protect automation systems and the operations they control,” said Andre Ristaino, ISA managing director. “This collaboration with OPAF is another ISASecure initiative for improving the security of automation that affects our everyday lives.”

The O-PAS Standard, Version 1.0 can be downloaded at: https://publications.opengroup.org/p190