VEGA, the Black Forest manufacturer of level, switching and pressure instrumentation, is on a security mission. In January 2023, it delivered to its customers what is unquestionably the world’s first level sensor with built-in cybersecurity features. With this new development VEGA wants to send a strong message, namely that it recognises the increasing threat of cyber criminality in industry and is taking action to combat it.
From the outside, you would not see anything different or unusual. The VEGAPULS 6X radar sensor, together with its documentation, fits perfectly into its tailor-made carton which, at the end of the packaging line, gets its shipping label, addressed for example to a chemical company in northern Hesse, Germany. But what the customer receives is something quite different from all the other level sensors previously available in the market. For the first time ever, this sensor comes with cyber protection as an integral component. It was developed in compliance with Industrial Cyber Security Standard IEC 62443-4-2 and thus meets the highest standards currently implemented in the process industry.
“Being able to use secure measurement data at all times is now one of the most important requirements of our customers,” says Florian Burgert, who was involved in the conception of the universal level sensor from the very beginning. “We hear this from customers in almost every industrial sector. For truly extensive security, not only does the production system as a whole have to be secure, but all the built-in components as well. Everything must comply with the standards.”
Especially when it comes to cybersecurity, plant operators want equipment they can depend on in order to stay one step ahead of the latest threats. And now VEGA does not want to rest on its laurels after having developed one instrument in compliance with IEC 62443. With its certification as a guide, the company plans to develop future products in accordance with all existing security requirements right from the start. Protective measures will be consistently expanded to create a reliable basis for secure plant operation in the future.
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