Implementing Cybersecurity Best Practices for Electrical Infrastructure in a Refinery: A Case Study

Abstract

Cybersecurity is quickly becoming one of the most important and potentially impactful risks to a process or refining facility. Cybersecurity solutions for electrical infrastructure can be challenging to implement because of the large number of devices that utilize a single set of passwords. The potential solutions to mitigate these risks can be expensive, inefficient, and time consuming to maintain. This article describes a case study of developing and implementing cybersecurity best practices for electrical infrastructure at a refining facility using a low-cost and low-maintenance approach. The design approach for this case study employs a centralized solution to implement role-based user access control, automated device password management, and a centralized data aggregation and human-machine interface (HMI) platform. The development of the cybersecurity best practices, design and implementation of the automation and cybersecurity platform, operations and maintenance, and lessons learned are discussed.