Pilot project to strengthen cybersecurity at facilities with a potential for major accidents
Increasing digitalisation is making facilities that handle hazardous substances more vulnerable to cyber risks. A joint pilot project by the FOEN, the NCSC and the cantonal enforcement authority responsible for major accident prevention, shows how companies can be made aware of these risks and improve their cyber resilience.
It cannot be ruled out that cyberattacks, technical tampering and IT/OT system malfunction at facilities handling hazardous substances or dangerous goods may endanger the public and the environment. The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the cantonal enforcement authority responsible for major accident prevention have therefore jointly trialled a new approach to monitoring cybersecurity at facilities subject to the Major Accidents Ordinance.
The new approach involves structured discussions on cyber resilience based on the Cyber Resilience Assessment (CyRA) questionnaire developed by the NCSC. The discussions aim to raise companies’ awareness of cyber risks and to highlight the dependence of business-critical processes on IT and OT systems. It also identifies specific options for improvement and provides insights into the threats posed by cyber risks. This approach has proven to be practicable and could be implemented with manageable effort. The NCSC now intends to develop it further so that enforcement agencies and regulators can implement it independently in the future.