In January 2023, VEGA delivered to its customers the world’s first level sensor with built-in cybersecurity features. With this new development VEGA is sending the strong message that it recognises the increasing threat of cyber criminality in industry and is taking action to combat it. The Black Forest-based manufacturer of level, switching and pressure instrumentation is on a security mission.
Looking at the VEGAPULS 6X radar sensor from the outside, customers would not see anything different or unusual: the sensor, together with its documentation, fits neatly into its tailor-made carton which, at the end of the packaging line, is labelled for shipping. Address: a chemical company in northern Hesse, Germany. However, what the customer receives is something quite different from all the other level sensors previously available in the market. For the first time, this sensor is supplied with cyber protection as an integral component. It was developed in compliance with Industrial Cyber Security Standard IEC 62443-4-2 and thus meets the highest standards currently in place in the process industry.
“Being able to use secure measurement data at all times is now one of the most important requirements of our customers," says Florian Burgert, who was involved in the conception of the universal level sensor from the beginning. “We hear this from customers in almost every industrial sector.” For effective security at this extensive level, the production system as a whole has to be secure, as well as all the built-in components. Everything must comply with the standards.
Particularly when it comes to cybersecurity, plant operators want equipment they can depend on in order to stay one step ahead of the latest threats. Having developed one instrument in compliance with IEC 62443, VEGA will use its certification as a guide as the company plans to develop future products in accordance with all existing security requirements from the start. Furthermore, protective measures will be consistently expanded to create a reliable basis for secure plant operation into the future.
For more information visit: www.vega.com
