Harmonizing IEC 62443 and TISAX for Enhanced Cybersecurity in the Automotive Industry

In today's interconnected industrial landscape, securing automation and control systems is paramount. Two pivotal standards, IEC 62443 and TISAX, play crucial roles in this domain.

IEC 62443 focuses on cybersecurity for industrial automation and control systems, providing a comprehensive framework for managing cyber risks. It's a series of standards developed by the International Electrotechnical Commission in collaboration with the International Society of Automation, ensuring global adoption and harmonization across various industries.

The link to IEC62443 can be found here : https://www.isa.org/standards-and-publications/isa-standards/isa-iec-62443-series-of-standards

TISAX (Trusted Information Security Assessment Exchange) is tailored for the automotive sector, offering a standardized assessment of information security. It streamlines the process of proving security measures to partners, reducing the need for multiple audits and enhancing efficiency. TISAX is particularly vital for companies in the automotive supply chain to demonstrate their commitment to safeguarding sensitive information.

The link to the TISAX handbook can be found here : https://www.enx.com/handbook/TISAX%20Participant%20Handbook.pdf

Why Harmonize?

• Unified Security Approach: By aligning IEC 62443 with TISAX, companies can develop a unified security strategy that meets both global cybersecurity needs and industry-specific requirements.
• Efficiency and Compliance: This harmonization reduces redundancy in security assessments, ensuring compliance with both standards while minimizing operational overhead.
• Enhanced Partner Trust: Demonstrating adherence to both standards can significantly boost partner confidence in your information security practices. Keep head office and you supply chain happy by meeting the required Industrial and Automotive controls for 62443 and TISAX.

How to Start?

• Assess Current Standards: Evaluate your existing cybersecurity practices against the IEC 62443 and TISAX frameworks.
• Identify Overlaps and Gaps: Understand where these standards complement each other and where there might be gaps in your security posture.0
• Develop a Harmonization Strategy: Create a plan to integrate best practices from both standards into your security management system. Marking multiple controls like

-ICS Secure Remote Access Cyolo Fortinet Cisco Industrial IoT

-Asset Management and Inventory Phosphorus Cybersecurity Inc. Nozomi Networks Cisco Industrial IoT Tenable

-OT Patch Management Ivanti

-ICS EDR TXOne Networks

-Conduit and Zoning and NAC Moxa Cisco Industrial IoT Fortinet TXOne Networks

-Incident Response and event logging Datacentrix SOC

-OT Soc Services Datacentrix SOC

-Shopfloor Risk/Change Management Datacentrix

-Asset Lifecycle Management Datacentrix

• Training and Implementation: Train your team on the nuances of both standards and implement the necessary security measures. We can help both OT and production teams to adhere to these controls and policies.
• Continuous Improvement: Regularly review and update your cybersecurity strategy to keep pace with evolving threats and standards. We offer ongoing consulting services to get you from SL1 (Protection against vandals and script kiddies) all the way up to SL4 (Protection against state actors. intelligence agencies and APT groups)

Let's leverage these standards to not only protect your operations but also to foster a culture of cybersecurity excellence in our industry. Call Datacentrix now for more information on our ICS and Security Managed Services in support of both frameworks.

Building better safer cars for your customers.

#Cybersecurity #IEC62443 #TISAX #IndustrialAutomation #InformationSecurity #AutomotiveIndustry

Andre Froneman

OT Solutions Specialist