Cybersecurity for drinking water supply
While advancing digitalization in water supply increases efficiency, it also increases the risk of cyberattacks.
ICT-based process control systems in water supply are an integral part of critical infrastructures. Recently, there have been increasing reports of hacker attacks on water supply systems in Europe and also in Switzerland. The in the SVGW-The risk-based approach adopted in Recommendation W1018 enables water utilities to independently assess themselves against a single industry standard of cyber risk and adjust their level of protection according to their resources, risk assessment, and supply relevance. The ICT minimum standard is based on existing principles, such as the risk and hazard analysis of water supply by the Federal Office for National Economic Supply. This enables a uniform approach that permits comparable results in the industry and improves the overall safety level of ICT systems in water supply.
The ICT Minimum Standard provides a practical framework so that water utilities can prepare themselves with the highest possible level of security against attackers as well as mismanipulation and recover as quickly as possible despite an incident.
Course for IT security people in the water supply industry
On August 22, 2019, and September 19, 2019, Technopark Zurich will host a two-day course for people from medium-sized and larger water utilities (more than 5,000 inhabitants supplied). It is aimed at IT security officers from water utilities or those responsible for the introduction of the ICT minimum standard, IT security consultants, experts from the authorities and political decision-makers.
A central goal of these courses is not only to provide participants with theoretical information, but also to accompany and support them in the independent introduction of the ICT minimum standard with the help of concrete examples of implementation. A central aim of the courses is not only to provide participants with theoretical information, but also to accompany and support them in the independent introduction of the standard with the aid of concrete examples of implementation.
Source: Aqua & Gas
