Designated US Expert on cyber security

Feb. 1, 2013
I am honored to have received my official notification of being designated a US expert to IEC TC45/SC 45A/WG9 - Instrumentation and control of nuclear facilities. This is in addition to being a designated US expert to IEC TC 57 WG15 - Power systems management and associated information exchange, and IEC TC 65 Working Group 10 - Industrial process measurement, control and automation. These working groups are addressing different aspects of control system cyber security.

I am honored to have received my official notification of being designated a US expert to IEC TC45/SC 45A/WG9 - Instrumentation and control of nuclear facilities. This is in addition to being a designated US expert to IEC TC 57 WG15 - Power systems management and associated information exchange, and IEC TC 65 Working Group 10 - Industrial process measurement, control and automation. These working groups are addressing different aspects of control system cyber security.

Enclosed is a description for each committee. Notice that each committee is technical in nature and cyber security is an enabling technology to meet the needs of electric transmission and distribution, industrial process and batch operations, and nuclear power plants.

TC45/SC 45A/WG9 produces and maintains standards and reports on all aspects of nuclear plant instrumentation systems at the system or channel level including: electronic aspects, processing aspects, safety aspects. The WGA9 scope includes current setpoints, critical safety function and performance monitoring functions as well as new EMI/RFI work when approved. A major aspect of our charter is the application of emerging electronic techniques in order to meet nuclear instrumentation and control requirements, particularly computer systems and advances in information processing and control, including artificial intelligence. In this context, one of our strategic tasks is to review and comment on drafts of IAEA safety code in order to maintain consistency between IAEA and IEC documents and identify detailed technical aspects for which IEC standard developments are appropriate and responsive to the market needs.

TC57WG15 prepares international standards for power systems control equipment and systems including EMS (Energy Management Systems), SCADA), distribution automation, teleprotection, and associated information exchange for real-time and non-real-time information, used in the planning, operation and maintenance of power systems. Power systems management comprises control within control centres, substations and individual pieces of primary equipment including telecontrol and interfaces to equipment, systems and databases. Although the work of TC 57 is chiefly concerned with standards for electric power systems, these standards may also be useful for application by the relevant bodies to other geographical widespread processes.

TC65 WG10 prepares international standards for systems and elements used for industrial-process measurement and control concerning continuous and batch processes. WG10 coordinates the standardization of those features of related elements which affect suitability for integration into such systems. The work of standardization outlined above is to be carried out in the international fields for equipment and systems operating with electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, mechanical or other systems of measurement and/or control.

I should also mention that I am the Managing Director of ISA (International Scociety of Automation) 67 Nuclear Plant Standards, ISA77 Fossil Plant Standards, and ISA99 Automation and Control Systems Cyber Security.

Joe Weiss 

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