Cyber security for chemical plants

Dr Trevor Kletz has said "what you don't have cannot leak". This was with reference to hazardous chemicals. It makes sense then and makes sense now. But with the advent of Internet and remote operation of chemical plants, we often think that the best way to keep a plants intranet secure is not to connect it with the Internet. In other words, "when you are not connected , you cannot be hacked". Last year, the cyber attack on a nuclear development facility in Iran, caused centrifuges to speed up but the control room did not display the increased speed! It is a very interesting story and just imagine what could happen if a cyber take over of critical equipment in a chemical plant takes place? Ensure your systems are adequately protected and conduct cyber security drills along with your regular mock drills! Read the very interesting article about the centrifuge incident in this link.