Safety and security – a field of tension in industrial practice

Abstract

The borders between Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) become indistinct, leading to an increasing interdependence between the protection goals of security and safety. For example, a cyber attack that alters safety functions may in turn lead to threats to people and the environment. Conversely, the misuse of safety functions may cause a machine or production line to stop working, which impacts availability. This article identifies how Austrian stakeholders of industrial automation handle security and safety risks to avoid or prevent undesired situations. The stakeholder analysis performed takes vendors of products or components, integrators, and operators of industrial architectures into account. Subject areas of this study include secure infrastructures, system architectures, and risk management. The results obtained provide insights into the current practices with regard to safety and security in the industry.