Corporate and facility managers often struggle with how to responsibly implement OT cybersecurity. They either don’t know where to start or how to best allocate their limited resources. Plant personnel may appreciate OT cybersecurity risk but struggle to develop a business case to management to justify those expenses.
Enter the Cyber Hazard and Operability Analysis (Cyber HAZOP), also known as a Cyber PHA, a safety-first approach to conduct a security risk assessment for OT systems, including but not limited to:
- Industrial control systems (ICS)
- Safety instrumented systems (SIS)
- Industrial IoT systems (IIoT)
- Building automation systems
A Cyber HAZOP is similar to a standard HAZOP safety engineering study but modified to study the potential consequences of cyber threats and what can be done to mitigate unacceptable risk.
The Cyber HAZOP systematic approach is tightly aligned with industry standards like ISA/IEC 62443-3-2, “Security Risk Assessment for Design,” and leverages the experience of safety engineers, operations, IT, and OT security. The methodology has been applied hundreds of times by companies in a variety of industries, especially in regulated critical infrastructure sectors.
Where Armexa Comes In
The Armexa team has led Cyber HAZOP studies for companies of all sizes across different industries.
Working together through a Cyber HAZOP assessment gives you a good picture of realistic threats that could compromise your system and lead to operational consequences such as health, safety, environmental or major production impact.
Because we facilitate the study across multiple engineering disciplines within your organization, it’s well-accepted by OT, process engineers, process safety engineers and automation engineers.
What a Cyber HAZOP Typically Consists Of
Information Gathering and Review
We start by collecting essential data and reviewing your existing cybersecurity infrastructure. This step sets the foundation for a thorough analysis.
Gap and Vulnerability Assessment
Next, we conduct a detailed assessment to identify gaps in your cybersecurity practices and pinpoint vulnerabilities in your system.
Analysis and Workshop Preparation
With the insights gained, we analyze the data to prepare for interactive workshops. This phase involves customizing our approach to address your specific needs.
Risk Assessment Workshops
We then facilitate collaborative workshops with your team to assess potential risks and discuss practical solutions. These sessions are key to developing an informed cybersecurity strategy.
Documentation and Final Reporting
The process culminates with a comprehensive report documenting our findings, recommendations, and a strategic plan to enhance your cybersecurity posture.
The Cyber HAZOP Outcome
You’ll ultimately get a risk-ranked mitigation plan out of a Cyber HAZOP, which will allow you to apply your resources in a way that will give you the best return on your investment.
Think of Cyber HAZOP as a tool to ensure you get the most risk reduction per dollar spent.
Your Security Is Our Priority
Let’s work together to strengthen and secure your OT systems effectively. Contact us to schedule your Cyber HAZOP assessment.
