ISA committee nears completion of standards

In meetings at ISA EXPO, the ISA-SP99 Industrial Automation and Control Systems Security Committee focused on preparations to issue its first two standards and an updated guideline for committee voting, while launching a new working group to develop another standard in the ISA-99 series.

The committee decided to issue its Part 1 draft standard in November for what is expected to be a final round of committee voting. This standard, “Security for Industrial Automation and Control Systems: Concepts, Terminology and Models,” will define the concepts, terminology, and models of industrial automation and control systems security, establishing the basis for the remaining standards in the ISA-99 series.

“Previous reviews and voting on the Part 1 draft generated over 250 comments from control system security experts across industry,” said Eric Cosman of Dow Chemical Company, a principal editor of ISA-SP99. “This input has considerably strengthened the draft and we are very confident our upcoming ballot will lead to publication of Part 1 as an American National Standard in early 2007,” he added.

Prior reviews and voting on the Part 2 draft standard, “Establishing an Industrial Automation and Control Systems Security Program,” resulted in a similar influx of comments that are being factored into a revised draft planned for committee balloting in early 2007. “As with Part 1, the review and commenting process has strengthened the Part 2 draft considerably,” said Part 2 editor James Gilsinn of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

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