Secure PLC Programming – Stopping Cyberthreats

When it comes to programmable logic controllers (PLC) programming, cybersecurity is often not given a second thought. Many PLC programmers do not factor security into their software design. As such, automation software for PLCs, human-machine interfaces (HMIs), and even full-blown Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems have recently become a major attack vector. One only has to look to recent history to see how sophisticated computer viruses have crippled PLC systems. For example, the infamous Stuxnet virus that destroyed Iranian PLC-controlled nuclear centrifuges or the Colonial Pipeline incident in 2021. Barring geopolitics and other reasons, these cyberattacks have proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that PLCs and automation software, in general, are now targets.

No matter what you’re working on, cybersecurity is one of the most important aspects to consider when developing an automation system. When...