CSSP Web Page Update 12-23-09

The DHS-CERT Control Systems Security Program (CSSP) web page has been updated. There is now a link to the Industrial Control Systems Joint Working Group’s (ICSJWG) announcement of their spring meeting in Austin, TX, as well as a link to a new publication about the use of encryption to protect industrial control systems. ICSJWG Spring Meeting The ICSJWG is a part of Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC). According to the meeting announcement web page the “goal of the ICSJWG is to continue and enhance the collaborative efforts of the industrial control systems stakeholder community in securing CIKR by accelerating the design, development, and deployment of secure industrial control systems.” The spring meeting will be held over April 6th thru 8th in Austin, TX. The conference will include presentations by industry leaders in control systems cybersecurity, updates from the ICSJWG Subgroups, and the Introduction to Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity training course. Further details, including a call for papers, will be forthcoming. ICS Encryption The CSSP has introduced a new publication, the Control Systems Communications Encryption Primer. According to the Abstract the “primer addresses the use of encryption systems within control systems environments”. It addresses the problems of applying encryption techniques to industrial control systems, acknowledging that these techniques “can introduce significant design challenges as they add complexities and operational limitations to the environment”. There will be more on this Primer in a future blog.