Possible Measures for the Safety of Process Plants in Case of Cyber Attacks

With the digitalization of industrial plants, cybersecurity is becoming an increasingly relevant problem. The most commonly used method for managing this problem is to use computer protection systems (e.g. firewalls). The purpose of these programs is to make impossible or at least difficult to intrude and alter computer systems.
In the process industry, intrusion into information systems can lead to malicious alteration of plant parameters, leading to significant risks to the safety of people and property.
For these reasons, this paper presents two additional barriers that can be adopted to prevent intrusions into computer systems from causing accidents. The first possible barrier that can be proposed is to use a digital twin. To compare the measured variables with the data obtained from the digital twin in order to identify the deviation between the two values indicating the presence of a problem. The second potential barrier can be in the ability of control room operators to recognize deviations in process variables following the intrusion, as well as to take corrective measures, including manual ones.

Keywords: Cyber security, Cyber physics systems, Swiss cheese model.