Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity: An Advanced European Training Course
1Summary
A cyberattack on a hospital or a bank steals data. A cyberattack on an industrial control system can stop a production line, shut down part of a power grid, or put physical safety at risk – the damage doesn't stay on a screen. As energy, manufacturing and transport networks become more connected, the systems that used to run in isolation are now exposed to the same threats as any other network.
This course by the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy gives engineers, security officers and IT professionals in industrial sectors a practical grounding in protecting these systems under European frameworks such as the NIS Directive and the EU Cybersecurity Act – from core defense technologies and supply chain risk to building an emergency response plan that gets operations back online quickly and safely.
2Objectives and target group
Who Should Attend?
- Industrial control system engineers and network security professionals in industrial environments.
- Information security officers and IT professionals in industrial organisations.
- Cybersecurity consultants and individuals responsible for European regulatory compliance in industrial sectors.
Course Objectives:
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Explain why industrial control systems require security approaches beyond standard IT practice.
- Apply European frameworks, particularly the NIS Directive, to industrial cybersecurity.
- Recognise potential threats to industrial control systems and take steps to mitigate them.
- Build and implement security strategies covering technology, supply chain and design.
- Develop and run an emergency response and recovery plan for industrial cybersecurity incidents.
3Course Content
- Module 1: When a Cyberattack Becomes a Physical Problem
- What industrial control systems are, and where they're used across energy, manufacturing and transport.
- How cyberattacks disrupt manufacturing and production processes, with real financial and reputational costs.
- The key challenges in securing these systems against growing cyber threats.
- Module 2: The European Rulebook for Industrial Security
- Overview of the NIS Directive and its requirements for industrial organisations.
- The EU Cybersecurity Act and other relevant European laws affecting industrial cybersecurity.
- Legal obligations for European organisations operating industrial control systems.
- Module 3: Core Security Principles and the Threat Landscape
- Applying confidentiality, integrity and availability as foundational security principles.
- Traditional and advanced threats facing industrial systems, from ransomware to Advanced Persistent Threats and supply-chain attacks.
- Recognising early indicators of an attack through continuous monitoring.
- Module 4: Building the Defense Stack
- Firewalls, IDS/IPS, encryption and advanced monitoring systems tailored to industrial environments.
- Identity and Access Management (IAM), multi-factor authentication and role-based access control.
- Embedding security by design into the architecture of industrial systems from the start.
- Module 5: Compliance and Supply Chain Risk
- Implementing NIS Directive requirements and enforcing cybersecurity standards within control systems.
- Securing third-party suppliers and external vendors across the industrial supply chain.
- Risk management strategies specific to supply chain cybersecurity.
- Module 6: Responding to and Recovering from an Incident
- Reporting and investigating security incidents, including identifying root causes.
- Designing and testing emergency response plans for security events.
- Restoring systems after an attack, prioritising recovery steps and assessing damage.
- Updating policies and raising awareness based on lessons learned after an incident.
- Module 7: What's Next for Industrial Cybersecurity
- The role of AI, machine learning and blockchain in strengthening industrial security.
- New risks introduced by the Internet of Things (IoT) and increasingly interconnected industrial environments.
- Anticipated changes in European regulation and the growing role of public-private partnerships.