IT security assessment for railway applications

Why is cybersecurity in railways becoming an issue?

In the rail industry, the evolution from closed, wired isolated networks to open, interconnected networks leads to a new generation of threats. Those new open networks transfer data via radio, such as GSM-R or even the internet, like the ERTMS system (European Rail Traffic Management System). This requires corporate practices to stay up-to-date when it comes to facing these cybersecurity threats.

Nowadays, railway systems face two main threats caused by possible cyber-attacks:

1. Reduction of availability: interruptions of transport to assure the flow of freight and passengers,e.g. by DoS (Denial of Service) attacks, sabotage etc.

2. Reduction of safety: risking people’s wellbeing and lives if attacks endanger the safety of railway systems.

Security risks can only be mitigated if manufacturers, operators and system integrators take responsibility for railway safety and security. In this context, it is not enough to adopt security measures and solutions from the office IT environment. Security measures for rail IT must address safety, operational and availability requirements.

Why are rail cybersecurity services important?

Our assessment, testing and certification services pertaining to rail cybersecurity offer manufacturers, service providers, system integrators and operators various benefits, including:

• The ability to verify the security of your railway-specific systems, applications or products thoroughly, understand critical interfaces and determine the actual security status of such systems, applications or products.

• Helping minimise risks by identifying non-conformities with relevant security standards like IEC 62443 and TS 50701.
• Saving you time and money with a prioritised list of rail IT security measures that helps you focus your resources on overcoming vulnerabilities which have been identified during inspection.
• The ability to communicate risks to management clearly, define appropriate protective measures and recognise the residual risk.
• The protection of your products, applications and systems against safety hazards, downtime and financial damage caused by cyber-attacks.

TÜV SÜD helps protect your railway safety and security against cyber threats

TÜV SÜD combines expertise in functional safety and cybersecurity with process knowledge in a wide range of industries and critical infrastructures. Our highly trained experts have extensive experience of IT in railways and railway-specific systems and can draw upon this knowledge to determine which risks are relevant to your business. As one of the first service providers in the field of rail cybersecurity, TÜV SÜD offers services that encompass rail IT security management, risk analysis and process analysis.

TÜV SÜD's rail cybersecurity testing services

We support operators, integrators, and manufacturers of rolling stock/signalling with assessment and certification for generic products as well as for generic and specific applications according to the following standards:

• IEC 62443-4-1 (development process)
• IEC 62443-4-2 (component properties)
• IEC 62443-3-3 (system properties)
• IEC 62443-2-4 (security requirements for service providers)
• IEC 62443-2-3 (patch management)
• IEC 62443-3-2 (security risk analysis and security architecture)
• TS 50701 (technical specification cyber security for railway applications)

Furthermore, we support you with specific in-house workshops on safety and security.

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