A mere 12 weeks ago I introduced this series as part of my final graduate school requirement. The week 1 post was full of big plans for a security focus on the manufacturing floor in the coming weeks. For the most part, I think I accomplished that goal. Week 2 explained why security is important. Week 3 might have been a bit of a stretch relating to the factory floor, but every controls engineer should work ethically, and I have heard some stories… There were a few sources with my favorite being a story about “The Front-Page Test” http://www.ca-ilg.org/post/front-page-test-easy-ethics-standard
Week 4 was a plan for security with an explanation about the CIA triad and how it differs slightly on the factory floor from the office. Week 5 included Risk Management which is something we are discussing at work relating to our equipment running Windows. I will write about that when we have a conclusion. Week 6 was recommending using firewalls and VPNs when connecting to manufacturing equipment and avoiding the wireless.
Week 7 was all about some of the network analysis tools I use and what a great thing they are for troubleshooting automation equipment; can’t say no to Wireshark. Week 8’s subject was encryption and why I think it is a good idea in manufacturing–for the most part. That week I recommended a hardware VPN that is easy to setup and use. Week 9 focused on physical security, and it might not be a big deal for most capital equipment. The peripheral equipment around the machines has a tenancy to disappear. Week 10 was about project management. I think this is an area that is well described but not practiced or well understood in my industry—except by the professional integrators. We would do well to learn from them!
In week 11 I strayed a little again and talked about certification. To be honest, I was motivated to talk about certification to be able to use that blog post as part of my Security+ CEU credits to maintain the credential. It was still relevant, as I believe that most certificates are worthwhile to pursue.
And finally, that brings us to where we are today, week 12; in this post, my review which you just read. I hope you all learned a little something. If not, pretend you did when you talk or write to me.
Peace
Jeff
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