ISA/IEC 62443 Compliance Guide

Executive Summary

The ISA/IEC 62443 series of standards provides a comprehensive framework for securing Industrial Automation and Control Systems (IACS). As chemical plants integrate advanced technologies like machine learning-based control, ensuring these systems meet cybersecurity requirements is essential.

This document describes how Acaysia's design, development, and deployment practices align with ISA/IEC 62443 requirements, helping asset owners maintain security posture while gaining operational benefits.

Understanding ISA/IEC 62443

ISA/IEC 62443 is organized into four series addressing different stakeholders:

Security Levels

ISA/IEC 62443 defines four Security Levels (SL) based on threat sophistication:

• SL 1: Protection against casual or coincidental violation
• SL 2: Protection against intentional violation using simple means
• SL 3: Protection against sophisticated attack with moderate resources
• SL 4: Protection against state-sponsored attack with extensive resources

Acaysia is designed to support deployments up to SL 3, with customer-specific hardening available for SL 4 requirements.

62443-4-1: Secure Product Development Lifecycle

This standard specifies requirements for secure development of products used in IACS. Acaysia's development practices address all requirement areas:

Security Management (SM)

• Dedicated security team with defined responsibilities
• Security requirements tracked throughout development
• Regular security training for all developers
• Third-party penetration testing annually

Security Requirements Specification (SR)

• Threat modeling performed for all new features
• Security requirements derived from threat analysis
• Customer security requirements incorporated
• Security acceptance criteria defined for each release

Secure by Design (SD)

• Defense-in-depth architecture
• Principle of least privilege throughout
• Secure defaults in all configurations
• Attack surface minimization

Secure Implementation (SI)

• Secure coding standards enforced via automation
• Static analysis in CI/CD pipeline
• Mandatory code review for all changes
• Dependency scanning and management

Security Verification & Validation (SVV)

• Automated security testing in CI/CD
• Dynamic application security testing (DAST)
• Fuzz testing of all external interfaces
• Penetration testing before major releases

Defect Management (DM)

• Vulnerability disclosure program
• CVE tracking and response procedures
• Security patch SLAs: Critical (24h), High (7d), Medium (30d)
• Customer notification process for security issues

Patch Management (PM)

• Regular security update releases
• Backward compatibility maintained where possible
• Clear documentation for all security updates
• Support for customer testing before deployment

Security Guidelines Documentation (SG)

• Hardening guide for secure deployment
• Security architecture documentation
• Integration guidelines for secure configuration
• Incident response procedures

62443-4-2: Component Security Requirements

This standard specifies technical security requirements for IACS components. Here's how Acaysia addresses each Foundational Requirement (FR):

FR 1: Identification and Authentication Control

FR 2: Use Control

FR 3: System Integrity

FR 4: Data Confidentiality

FR 5: Restricted Data Flow

FR 6: Timely Response to Events

FR 7: Resource Availability

Network Architecture Recommendations

Acaysia is designed to integrate into defense-in-depth network architectures compliant with ISA/IEC 62443-3-3.

Recommended Deployment Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     ENTERPRISE ZONE (Level 4-5)                 │
│  ┌──────────────┐                                               │
│  │ Acaysia Cloud│ ◄─── HTTPS (TLS 1.3)                         │
│  │ (Analytics)  │                                               │
│  └──────────────┘                                               │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                    ┌─────────┴─────────┐
                    │    FIREWALL/DMZ    │
                    └─────────┬─────────┘
                              │
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     OPERATIONS ZONE (Level 3)                   │
│  ┌──────────────┐      ┌──────────────┐                        │
│  │    HMI/      │      │   Acaysia    │                        │
│  │   SCADA      │◄────►│ Edge Device  │                        │
│  └──────────────┘      └──────────────┘                        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                    ┌─────────┴─────────┐
                    │    FIREWALL        │
                    └─────────┬─────────┘
                              │
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     CONTROL ZONE (Level 1-2)                    │
│  ┌──────────────┐      ┌──────────────┐                        │
│  │     PLC      │◄────►│   I/O &      │                        │
│  │              │      │   Sensors    │                        │
│  └──────────────┘      └──────────────┘                        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
            

Network Requirements

Compliance Documentation

Acaysia provides documentation to support customer compliance efforts:

Available Documents

• Security Hardening Guide: Step-by-step secure configuration
• Architecture Document: Security architecture and data flows
• Penetration Test Summary: Results from third-party testing
• Vulnerability Disclosure Policy: Process for reporting issues
• Incident Response Plan: Procedures for security events
• Third-Party Component List: Dependencies and versions (SBOM)

Compliance Support

Our team can assist with:

• Security assessments during pre-deployment
• Integration with existing security infrastructure
• Custom hardening for specific requirements
• Audit preparation and documentation
• Incident response coordination

Ongoing Security

Compliance is not a one-time achievement but an ongoing process. Acaysia supports continuous security through:

Regular Updates

• Monthly security patches for non-critical issues
• Emergency patches for critical vulnerabilities
• Quarterly feature releases with security improvements
• Annual major version updates

Monitoring and Response

• 24/7 security monitoring of Acaysia infrastructure
• Threat intelligence integration
• Coordinated vulnerability disclosure
• Customer notification within 24 hours of confirmed vulnerabilities

Customer Responsibilities

Asset owners should maintain:

• Timely application of security patches
• Network segmentation as recommended
• User account management (provisioning/deprovisioning)
• Monitoring of security logs and alerts
• Regular backup of configuration

Conclusion

Acaysia is designed and developed with industrial cybersecurity as a core requirement, not an afterthought. Our alignment with ISA/IEC 62443 demonstrates commitment to:

• Secure product development practices
• Technical security controls appropriate for industrial environments
• Support for customer compliance requirements
• Ongoing security maintenance and improvement

We partner with customers to ensure that the benefits of advanced process control are achieved without compromising cybersecurity posture.