Honeywell’s Industrial cyber security facility opened recently in the US. It aims to help companies develop a more offensive approach to cyber security and to make security a business enabler. Honeywell’s Industrial Cyber Security Group has built on its existing process industry offerings with the opening of the Honeywell Industrial Cyber Security Lab in the US, to advance development and testing of new technologies and software to defend industrial facilities and operations such as refineries and manufacturing plants from cyber attacks.
According to reports from the US Department of Homeland Security’s Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT), cyber incidents on industrial targets in 2014 continued to increase and are up more than 25% since 2011.
The Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT’s) has also stated that in 40% of reported incidents a lack of detection and monitoring capabilities led to experts not knowing how hackers intruded the system. A global survey on cyber security conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs in September 2014 on behalf of Honeywell found that more than 75% of respondents from 10 countries said they were fearful that cyber criminals could disrupt major sectors of the economy, and identified the oil and gas, chemicals and power industries as particularly vulnerable.
Honeywell has offered proprietary cyber protection software and technology for its process automation solutions for over a decade, during which the Honeywell Industrial Cyber Security group has delivered more than 1,000 industrial cyber security projects globally. “We have a successful history of providing cyber defence solutions for our industrial customers and this new cyber lab expands our capabilities,” said Jeff Zindel, global business leader for Cyber Security, HPS. “We will be able to validate new solutions faster in a variety of scenarios and increase our customers’ defences against the growing threat of cyber attacks.”
The new US-based lab includes a model of a complete process control network that Honeywell cyber security experts will use for proprietary research, hands-on training, and to develop, test and certify industrial cyber security solutions. The facility will allow engineers to develop security controls and test tools on a working model of a complete process control system environment to accelerate development and availability of new technologies aimed at eliminating the risks of industrial cyber threats and attacks.
