PAS in the News

  • U.S. News & World Report

    April 13, 2018
     Can the Law Stop Ransomware?

    Stunning ransomware attacks like those that recently hobbled Atlanta and Baltimore have thus far defied a legislative solution, with lawmakers in only a handful of states having criminalized the activity and experts skeptical that harsher laws would even make a difference. The attack on Atlanta last month, which reportedly struck five of 13 city agencies and forced some 8,000 city workers to take their computers offli...

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  • Automation World

    April 13, 2018
     Managing the Consequences of Cyber Threats

    General Michael Hayden, a retired U.S. Air Force four-star general and the former Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), has extensive knowledge and understanding of how to handle conflict and combat. During his time serving in a variety of senior positions, including responsibility for a combat support agency of the Department of Defense, as the Commander of the Air Intelli...

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  • ISS Source

    April 11, 2018
     PAS: Avoid Unintended Consequences

    Advances in technologies can lead to great things for the manufacturing automation sector, but everyone has to keep in mind security has to play a key role. “With new technologies and new advancements, we can see unintended consequences,” said Eddie Habibi, chief executive and founder of PAS Global during his Tuesday keynote address at the PAS 2018 Optics conference in Houston, TX. “This is no different than working i...

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  • ISS Source

    April 11, 2018
     PAS: Cyber a New Domain

    Technology is advancing across all industries and it is making them smarter and more agile, but attack vectors are also on the rise, which means industry leaders need to understand who and what they are facing. “The faster we go, the more ‘behinder’ we get,” said General Michael Hayden, principal at the Chertoff Group and former Director of the CIA and the NSA, during his keynote address Tuesday at the PAS 2018 Optics...

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  • Chemical Engineering

    March 1, 2018
     A Cybersecurity Platform for Multi-Vendor Automation Systems

    This company’s Cyber Integrity 6.0 platform now includes continuous vulnerability management, providing immediate, comprehensive visibility into vulnerability risk within industrial process control networks. Cyber Integrity works across the multi-vendor automation environment, providing foundational cybersecurity, enterprise scalability and platform independence. It also automates internal and regulatory compliance repor...

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  • Automation World

    March 28, 2018
     The Infiltration of U.S. Control Systems

    CERT Alert TA18-074A removed any doubts that hostile nation states are actively targeting U.S. industrial control systems. On March 15, 2018, we all learned that the long-discussed cyber-attack on industrial control systems (ICS) had actually happened. Of course, many attacks on ICSs have happened before, but this one—with the backing of a nation-state—is the one that has been most feared.

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  • CSO Magazine

    March 19, 2018
     8 Questions to Ask About Your Industrial Control Systems Security

    Do you have a real cybersecurity-focused ICS strategy in place, or are you force-fitting IT security policies on your industrial control systems? A recent incident where a likely nation-state threat actor inadvertently shut down a critical infrastructure facility in the Middle East when testing new malware has stoked widespread concerns about the vulnerability of industrial control systems (ICSs) to new cyberthreats. Man...

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  • Dark Reading

    February 22, 2018
     Anatomy of an Attack on the Industrial IoT

    We like to think that cyberattacks are focused primarily on stealing credit card numbers and that attackers don't know much about the control systems that run critical infrastructure. Unfortunately, that's just wishful thinking. In 2017, we saw an increasing number of threat actors bypass existing network perimeter security controls to perform sophisticated reconnaissance of industrial process control networks (PCNs). Th...

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  • SC Magazine

    March 12, 2018
     MuddyWater APT Campaign Flowing Again

    The MuddyWater campaign appears to be rising to the surface again with researchers finding similarities between this older cyberespionage attack and a new one targeting Turkey, Pakistan and Tajikistan. Trend Micro researchers believe the latest series of incursions is related to last year's MuddyWater incidents, which were discovered by Palo Alto's Unit 42, as each uses official looking documents purporting to be from...

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  • Automation World

    February 15, 2018
     Making Sense of the ICS Cybersecurity Market

    The convergence of industrial control networks and operational technology (OT) with traditional information technology (IT) has been a “coming attraction” for years. But the growth in ICS cyber attacks is a sign that convergence is finally here. In the past, securing control systems was not a major concern because they were air gapped -isolated from IT and the rest of the enterprise -running on proprietary protocols, emb...

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  • ISS Source

    February 7, 2018
     ICS Connected to Net: Beware of Hype

    It is very easy to get caught up in the hype and hysteria surrounding cybersecurity and not understand facts behind a barrage of data. In the end, it is all about context. That idea comes into play after a report released earlier this week saying the amount of industrial control systems (ICS) now accessible over the Internet increased over the previous year.

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  • ISS Source

    January 29, 2018
     PAS Releases Cyber Integrity 6.0

    PAS Global released its PAS Cyber Integrity 6.0, which includes continuous vulnerability management providing visibility into risk within industrial process control networks. With traditional IT vulnerability management, Cyber Integrity also addresses proprietary industrial control systems that comprise 80 percent of a facility environment.

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  • Dark Reading

    January 25, 2018
     Industrial Safety Systems in the Bullseye

    No doubt it could have been far worse - even catastrophic. An apparent misstep by the attackers behind the malware now known as TRITON/TRISIS that was discovered embedded in a Schneider Electric customer's safety system controller late last year fortunately failed, causing two of the safety instrumented systems (SISes) to shut down an industrial process in the plant. That outage led to the discovery of the customized bac...

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  • Automation World

    February 19, 2018
     Cross-Industry Collaboration at Heart of Cybersecurity Agreement

    Addressing the challenge will require collaboration across the board—between partners, between customers and suppliers, and even among competitors. Siemens has been busy building those collaborative relationships over the past several months, announcing partnerships with PAS to provide real-time monitoring for control systems in the energy industry and with Tenable to improve visibility of vulnerable assets in energy, ut...

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  • Dark Reading

    January 23, 2018
     Fallout from Rushed Patching for Meltdown, Spectre

    The performance hit with the patches is especially painful for the industrial environment, which is both a juicy target for attack as well as highly disruption-averse. "In the world of critical infrastructure, where safety and availability are paramount, updates that carry this kind of baggage are simply not applied immediately," says Eddie Habibi, founder and CEO of PAS Global.

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  • Help Net Security

    January 19, 2018
     New Infosec Products of the Week​: January 19, 2018

    PAS Cyber Integrity 6.0 now includes continuous vulnerability management providing visibility into vulnerability risk within industrial process control networks. Cyber Integrity moves beyond traditional IT vulnerability management by also addressing the proprietary industrial control systems that comprise 80 percent of a facility environment.

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  • Plant Services

    January 15, 2018
     Trust is Not a Strategy for Cybersecurity

    Digitalization adds significant value despite the cyber risk. “Don’t fear connectivity – the benefits are too great,” says Eddie Habibi, founder and CEO of PAS Global. On the other hand, he cautions, the threat of cyberattack is imminent and proven; critical systems are vulnerable; and “every minute, day, or month that you put off securing your systems, they remain at risk.”

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  • The Security Ledger

    January 15, 2018
     Episode 79: Hackable Nukes and Dissecting Naughty Toys

    In this week’s Security Ledger Podcast episode, the UK -based policy think tank Chatham House warned last week that aging nuclear weapons systems in the U.S., the U.K. and other nations are vulnerable to cyber attacks that could be used to start a global conflagration. We talk with Eddie Habbibi of PAS Global about what can be done to secure hackable nukes.

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  • ARC Advisory Group

    January 12, 2018
     Enabling Continuous Vulnerability Management for Industrial Control Systems

    Industrial companies have made significant investments in cybersecurity technologies to protect their plants and industrial control systems (ICS). But many companies are unable to keep up with the never-ending stream of new vulnerability alerts from suppliers and groups like ICS-CERT. This leaves many plants at risk of serious cyber incidents, jeopardizing safety and operational reliability.

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  • Silicon Angle

    January 11, 2018
     Report Claims Hackers Could Start a Nuclear War through Vulnerable Weapons Systems

    A think tank today published a report that claims that nuclear weapon systems in both the U.S. and U.K. are vulnerable to hacking and that hackers could potentially start a nuclear war. The claim comes from Chatham House in its report “Cybersecurity of Nuclear Weapons Systems: Threats, Vulnerabilities and Consequences,” which details the history of nuclear weapons systems and the inherent risks built into them.

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  • Networks Asia

    January 7, 2018
     Our Top 7 Cyber Security Predictions for 2018

    Given what’s happened in 2017 — the Equifax breach, state-sponsored attacks, Russian manipulation of social media, Wannacry, and more phishing scams than we can count — you might not be looking forward to 2018. Breaches will be bigger, hackers will be smarter, and security teams and budgets won’t seem to keep pace.

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  • ISSSource

    December 20, 2017
     ICS Alert: USB Malware Attack

    Security provider Nyotron found an advanced malware campaign attempting to attack a company’s Middle Eastern critical infrastructure clients. “On December 11, 2017 at 01:21 a.m., a night-shift employee working at an around-the-clock critical infrastructure facility located in the Middle East plugged a USB drive into a shared workstation that dozens of the company’s employees use on a daily basis.”

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  • Control Global

    December 19, 2017
     You Can Be a Cybersecurity Badass - Part 2

    Of course, the ultimate aim of any cybersecurity effort is the same as any other plant-floor initiative from basic loop control to advanced process optimization and safety—keep the application running as efficiently and profitably as possible. However, because there's no "set it and forget it" with cybersecurity due to constantly evolving probes and threats, a secure network and the communications traffic on it must be c...

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  • IT World

    December 18, 2017
     Our Top 7 Cyber Security Predictions for 2018

    Given what’s happened in 2017 — the Equifax breach, state-sponsored attacks, Russian manipulation of social media, Wannacry, and more phishing scams than we can count — you might not be looking forward to 2018. Breaches will be bigger, hackers will be smarter, and security teams and budgets won’t seem to keep pace.

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  • AutomationWorld reports on cyber attack in critical infrastructure

    December 18, 2017
     Cyber Attack Hits Safety System in Critical Infrastructure

    Industry is abuzz over reports issued by both FireEye and Dragos about a cybersecurity incident that took place at a critical infrastructure facility in the Middle East. The malware referred to as Triton is significant to our community because it is not only part of an increasing focus of attacks on industrial control systems (ICSs), but it is the first to directly target a safety instrumented system (SIS).

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  • CSO announces top cybersecurity predictions for 2018

    December 18, 2017
     Our Top 7 Cyber Security Predictions for 2018

    Given what’s happened in 2017 — the Equifax breach, state-sponsored attacks, Russian manipulation of social media, Wannacry, and more phishing scams than we can count — you might not be looking forward to 2018. Breaches will be bigger, hackers will be smarter, and security teams and budgets won’t seem to keep pace. Some things will get worse before they get better, but we expect real progress in a few areas.

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  • IT Pro Today

    February 5, 2018
     Q&A: Siemens Industrial Security Exec on Cyber Priorities

    Decades ago, the term “industrial security” primarily referred to safeguarding physical assets. With the rise of connected industrial control systems, the focus expanded to keep remote intruders out. In both cases, industry professionals often approached security as a mission to keep some malevolent “other” out of their premises and away from critical machinery. While the threat of external threat actors is very real, th...

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  • Automation.com

    December 11, 2017
     What Lies Beneath – Avoiding the Unseen Dangers of OT Vulnerabilities

    A recent Accenture survey found that 76 percent of utility executives in North America believe the country faces a moderate risk of interruption to electricity due to a cyberattack. The full truth is that much more infrastructure than power generation is at risk. Process control networks (PCNs) in critical infrastructure sites − refineries, chemical plants, and manufacturing facilities − all have potential danger swimmin...

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  • CRN

    December 6, 2017
     2017 Internet Of Things 50: 15 Coolest Industrial IoT Companies

    Here are CRN's 15 coolest industrial IoT companies that are leveraging their channel to deploy analytics and data monitoring tools on the industrial floor, deploy connected smart equipment, and ultimately bridge IT with operational technology.

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  • Automation World

    December 5, 2017
     Industrial Cybersecurity Predictions

    2017 was certainly a year in which industry seemed to become more focused on cybersecurity. But with so much activity in this sector, making sense of it all is tough. Here are some insights into potential new developments for 2018. Eddie Habibi, founder and CEO of PAS—a cybersecurity and asset and operations management technology supplier—recently shared his thoughts on what he called “seven seismic trends” he expects to...

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  • SecurityBrief Asia

    November 24, 2017
     Industrial Security Provider PAS Joins RSA Ready Technology Program

    Global industrial control systems security provider PAS Global’s Cyber Integrity platform has now become completely interoperable with RSA NetWitness Suite. PAS is a solution provider of industrial control system (ICS) cybersecurity, process safety and asset reliability in the energy, power and process industries. The interoperability means that industial process companies that use RSA NetWitness can access further secur...

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  • Dark Reading

    November 13, 2017
     Emerging IT Security Technologies: 13 Categories, 26 Vendors

    In the category of ICS Security - Tools for enabling the security, confidentiality, and integrity of network-connected SCADA and industrial control systems. Founded in 2014, PAS provides cybersecurity, asset management, and process safety products for the power, process, and energy industries. Factors to Watch include a strategic global partnership with Siemens for real-time monitoring of control systems Platform-i...

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  • IIoT World


     12 Predictions for ICS Cybersecurity in 2018

    What does 2018 hold for ICS cybersecurity? Here are seven seismic trends Eddie Habibi sees happening in the world of ICS cybersecurity: Disclosing a Critical Infrastructure Cyber Attack Will Be Mandatory: The lack of a mandate to disclose attacks on corporations continues to hinder accurate intelligence gathering, targeted defensive strategies against an evolving threat landscape, and appropriate offensive respons...

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  • ISS Source

    November 1, 2017
     How to Find an APT Attack

    Critical infrastructure presents high value targets that if exploited can produce significant political or financial gain – more than retail or financial industry targets we tend to see in the news,” said David Zahn, GM of the cybersecurity business unit at PAS. “The reason is that the industrial control systems that sit at the end of the industrial facility’s kill chain control in many cases volatile process.

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  • eSecurity Planet

    October 25, 2017
     Understanding the Threat: Bad Rabbit Ransomware Spreads Worldwide

    The United State Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) is warning of a new ransomware campaign called Bad Rabbit, which appears to be a variant of the Petya ransomware that was first detected in early 2016. "US-CERT discourages individuals and organizations from paying the ransom, as this does not guarantee that access will be restored," US-CERT stated in an alert. "Using unpatched and unsupported software may inc...

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  • Security Week

    October 23, 2017
     DHS, FBI Warn of Ongoing APT Attack Against Critical Infrastructure

    The Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation have issued a joint technical alert warning that government entities and organizations in the energy, nuclear, water, aviation, and critical manufacturing sectors are subject to an ongoing attack campaign from an advanced actor, most probably Dragonfly (aka Crouching Yeti and Energetic Bear).

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  • eWeek

    October 23, 2017
     US-CERT Warns of Active Attacks Against Industrial Control Systems

    US-CERT issued a technical alert advisory on Oct.21 warning of advanced persistent threat activity targeting energy and other critical infrastructure sectors across the U.S. The technical alert was compiled with information provided from both the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). According to the analysis, energy, nuclear, water, aviation and critical manufacturing sec...

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  • eSecurity Planet

    October 13, 2017
     North Korean Hackers Hit U.S. Electric Companies with Spear Phishing Attacks

    Eddie Habibi, CEO of PAS Global, told eSecurity Planet by email that as tensions continue to rise between the U.S. and North Korea, we should expect the intensity of cyber attacks on U.S. critical infrastructure to rise as well. And while critical infrastructure is as prepared as it has ever been for phishing attacks, Habibi said, it's not well prepared for the consequences of attacks that provide the attackers with "ac...

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  • Dark Reading

    October 11, 2017
     North Korean Threat Actors Probe US Electric Companies

    September spear phishing attack appeared to be more reconnaissance activity than sign of impending attack, FireEye says. Known threat actors based in North Korea recently targeted several US electric companies in a spear-phishing campaign that appeared to be more of an early reconnaissance mission than an attempt to cause any immediate disruption.

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  • Security Week

    October 11, 2017
     North Korean Hackers Targeted U.S. Electric Firms: Report

    Hackers likely affiliated with the North Korean government seem to lack the ability to disrupt the U.S. power supply, according to a new report from FireEye. The state-sponsored actors conducted a reconnaissance attack against electric companies in the United States on Sept. 22, 2017, via spear-phishing emails, but the incident did not lead to a disruption, the security company reports.

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  • InfoSecurity

    October 11, 2017
     North Korea Targets US Power Grid

    As the saber-rattling between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jon-Un continues, reports have surfaced that the DPRK had plans to hack the American power grid, while also successfully targeting the South Korean Ministry of Defense.

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  • ISA

    October 10, 2017
     Protecting the ICS from Cyberthreats

    Effectively meeting ICS cybersecurity challenges begins by recognizing that OT is uniquely different from IT. IT systems manage digital bits of information. OT systems drive production by monitoring and directly controlling physical devices, such as circuit breakers at power stations that distribute electricity and the valves and compressors at refineries that produce gasoline. While attackers focusing on enterprise IT s...

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  • ISA

    October 10, 2017
     Beyond Alarm Management

    Alarm management’s powerful infrastructure extends to many other important uses. Once you have accomplished alarm system improvement, what is next? Can you leverage the software and work processes in place for alarm management to achieve other significant improvements? Many companies are doing exactly that.

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  • CyberWire

    September 27, 2017
     The WannaCry Ransomware Pandemic: Sloppy but Dangerous. What about ICS?

    WannaCry infections have resumed, but at a slower rate, as the kill switch in the original version is removed. A now warned and worried online world is working to secure itself against this second, apparently less virulent, variant of the ransomware. Attribution, which is still at a very circumstantial and preliminary stage, continues to point toward North Korea. Technical experts think they've found evidence of connecti...

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  • SmartBrief

    September 25, 2017
     Siemens, PAS Team Up for Control System Monitoring

    Siemens and PAS Global have announced a partnership to provide real-time monitoring for industrial control systems. The companies' combined technology will provide customers with the tools to identify proprietary assets and to detect and respond to threats to control systems.

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  • Utility Products

    September 21, 2017
     Monitoring System: Fleet-Wide, Real Time Monitoring for Control Systems

    Siemens, a global engineering and technology provider, and PAS Global, a provider of industrial control system (ICS) cybersecurity solutions, announced an agreement to provide fleet-wide, real time monitoring for control systems. By leveraging the capabilities of both companies, this partnership will provide customers with: (1) deep analytics required to identify and inventory proprietary assets; and (2) visibility to de...

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  • ARC Advisory Group

    September 20, 2017
     Siemens and PAS Strike Up Partnership to Provide Essential Industrial Control System Cybersecurity

    Siemens, a global engineering and technology company, and PAS Global, a leading provider of industrial control system (ICS) cybersecurity solutions, announced an agreement to provide fleet-wide, real-time monitoring for control systems. By leveraging the unique capabilities of both companies, this partnership will be able to provide customers with: (1) deep analytics required to identify and inventory proprietary assets;...

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  • Compressor Tech

    September 20, 2017
     Keeping Assets Safe From Cyber Attacks

    Siemens has announced an agreement with U.S.-based PAS Global, a global provider of industrial control system (ICS) cybersecurity solutions, to provide fleetwide, real time monitoring for control systems. The agreement will provide customers with the deep analytics required to identify and inventory proprietary assets and the visibility to detect and respond effectively to attacks across the operating environment, Sieme...

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  • Diesel & Gas Turbine Worldwide

    September 19, 2017
     Keeping Things Secure From Cyber Attacks

    Siemens has announced an agreement with U.S.-based PAS Global, a global provider of industrial control system (ICS) cybersecurity solutions, to provide fleetwide, real-time monitoring for control systems. The agreement will provide customers with the deep analytics required to identify and inventory proprietary assets and the visibility to detect and respond effectively to attacks across the operating environment, Sieme...

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  • Automation World

    September 19, 2017
     Siemens and PAS Team to Provide ICS Security in Energy

    With a focus on protecting the critical infrastructure industries of utilities and oil and gas, the partnership combines control system knowledge and analytics with deep domain expertise and response. It takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a village to protect your assets. In the energy industry—where use of digital technologies is growing to help boost revenues and efficiencies, and where cyber attacks have ...

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  • Control Design

    September 19, 2017
     Siemens and PAS Global Partner to Address ICS Cybersecurity

    Siemens has announced it has partnered with industrial control system (ICS) cybersecurity solutions company PAS Global, to provide stronger visibility and security across the ICS - particularly in the oil and gas and utility sectors. According to Siemens, the partnership will increase visibility to detect and respond effectively to attacks across the operating environment, provide deep analytics required to identify and ...

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  • Hydrocarbon Processing

    September 19, 2017
     Siemens, PAS Announce Partnership to Provide Industrial Control System Cybersecurity

    Siemens and PAS Global, a provider of industrial control system (ICS) cybersecurity solutions, announced an agreement to provide fleet-wide, real time monitoring for control systems. By leveraging the unique capabilities of both companies, this partnership will provide customers with deep analytics required to identify and inventory proprietary assets; and visibility to detect and respond effectively to attacks across th...

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  • Security Week

    September 19, 2017
     Siemens, PAS Partner on Industrial Cybersecurity

    Engineering giant Siemens and PAS, a company that specializes in cyber security solutions for industrial control systems (ICS), announced on Tuesday a new strategic partnership. The goal of the partnership is to provide organizations the capabilities needed to identify and inventory assets, including distributed and legacy control systems, and provide visibility for detecting cyber threats and unauthorized engineering c...

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  • Dark Reading

    September 19, 2017
     Siemens' New ICS/SCADA Security Service a Sign of the Times

    Now meet the next big thing for Siemens and other major ICS/SCADA equipment vendors: managed security services. Siemens today kicked up a notch its existing network monitoring and security services with the addition of anomaly detection technology from PAS that monitors all brands of industrial and computing equipment – not just its own - on a plant network.

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  • CRN

    September 19, 2017
     IoT Company PAS, Siemens Pair Up To 'Bridge The Visibility Gap' For Manufacturing Assets

    PAS, a startup focused on securing connected manufacturing floors, has announced it will team up with industrial heavyweight Siemens to help better secure operational technology. Siemens and PAS will partner "bring the best in breed technology" that helps manufacturing companies gain stronger visibility and security across legacy control assets and industrial control systems, particularly in the oil and gas and utility ...

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  • eSecurity Planet

    September 6, 2017
     Critical Infrastructure Compromised: New Cyber Attacks Hit Energy Companies in U.S., Turkey, Switzerland

    The Dragonfly group now appears to be focused on compromising operational networks. Symantec researchers recently uncovered a new wave of cyber attacks targeting the energy sector in Europe and North America, with the potential to disrupt operations at target companies. The group behind the attacks, known as Dragonfly, has been in operation since 2011 but was relatively quiet for a while after it was first exposed in 20...

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  • Wall Street Journal

    September 6, 2017
     Cyber Matters: Examining the Threat Against Industrial Control Systems

    The risk of industrial-control systems being targeted with cyberattacks has long concerned operators, governments and vendors, but fears of widespread attacks crippling critical infrastructure have so far failed to materialize. Now, that risk only appears to be growing because of the availability of attack tools, and evolving motivation of digital adversaries. Industrial-control systems, or ICS, are found mainly in ener...

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  • ISS Source

    September 6, 2017
     Power Grid Compromise

    In what should be a surprise to no one: A series of attacks compromised energy companies in the United States and Europe which led to bad guys gaining access to grid operations to the point where they could flip the switch on power. A report released by Symantec Wednesday revealed attacks by a group it is calling Dragonfly 2.0, which it said targeted dozens of energy companies since 2015.

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  • CRN

    September 4, 2017
     30 Internet Of Things Executives Whose Names You Should Know

    As IoT continues to mature, more executives have come forward with their engineering and sales expertise to offer their insights on how to best monetize the market. CRN has compiled a list of the top executives making a mark in IoT – whether they are top executives charged with leading vendors' overarching IoT strategies, solution provider executives at the front of the IoT sales charge, or thought leaders who are close...

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  • Automation World

    August 25, 2017
     Facing Serious Threats in Critical Infrastructure

    Doomsday scenarios might sound like hype, but the increasing number of cybersecurity incidents we’ve seen in electric, water, nuclear and other critical facilities are trials for larger attacks. It’s difficult to write about cybersecurity without sounding like Chicken Little. I know that the more I flap my wings, the more you might ignore me altogether. Doomsday messages don’t strike fear; our overhyped message receptors...

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  • ISS Source

    August 25, 2017
     Fighting FUD From DC

    If anyone thought fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) as an approach to cybersecurity ended a long time ago, then view the latest report coming out of Washington saying there is a narrow and fleeting window to prepare for and prevent “a 9/11-level cyber-attack” against the U.S. critical infrastructure. That FUD induced comment came from a report the Presidential National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC) just released...

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  • Dark Reading

    August 17, 2017
     Critical Infrastructure, Cybersecurity & the 'Devil’s Rope'

    How hackers today are engaging in a modern 'Fence Cutter War' against industrial control systems, and what security professionals need to do about it. The Homestead Act of 1862 promised US citizens that if they settled and farmed frontier land for five years, it was theirs to own. One of the primary challenges settlers faced was finding fencing materials to protect their crops from open-range cattle. Barbed wire was inve...

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  • Naked Security

    August 3, 2017
     Researchers Display “CAN Do” Skill in Vehicle DoS

    Add one more to the lengthening list of ways your connected car can get hacked. The NCCIC/ICS-CERT (National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center/Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Readiness Team) issued an “alert” late last week following the release of a research paper on, “a vulnerability in the Controller Area Network (CAN) Bus standard with proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit code affecting CAN Bus.”

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  • ISS Source

    August 2, 2017
     PAS’ Alarm Mechanic Hikes Plant Safety

    PAS Global LLC released its PlantState Suite (PSS) 8.3 featuring Alarm Mechanic. The new feature helps improve process plant safety and console operator performance minimizing nuisance alarms through automated analytics and recommendations. PlantState Suite makes power and process plant operators more effective at identifying, evaluating, and managing alarms.

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  • ISS Source

    August 2, 2017
     Black Hat: ICS Security Movement

    In the ICS environment, it is all about understanding what security means and then adapting to and adopting a culture much like the industry did 40 years ago or so when it came to safety. “It is all about changing cultures,” said Eddie Habibi, founder and chief executive at PAS, who attended Black Hat USA 2017 in Las Vegas, NV, for the first time this year and sat down for a few moments to share his thoughts on the evolv...

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  • The Hill

    July 26, 2017
     Obama Cyber Czar: Trump State Department Needs Cybersecurity Office

    Former President Obama's cyber czar on Wednesday piled on the criticism of a rumored Trump administration plan to shutter the State Department's cybersecurity coordinator office. Michael Daniel told The Hill that cybersecurity is an issue "that crosses multiple desks at the State Department."

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  • Automation World

    June 29, 2017
     Another Cybersecurity Wake-Up Call—Answer It

    When the WannaCry ransomware attack hit Windows-based computers worldwide last month—debilitating the British National Health Service and affecting hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide—it was a big headline. But in the month and a half that’s passed since then, it seems to have become just another day in the news. Attack after attack is coming through, and it should be very clear—because it apparently wasn’t clea...

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  • Dark Reading

    June 26, 2017
     Look, But Don't Touch: One Key to Better ICS Security

    How do we fix industrial control systems cybersecurity? Experts say better visibility is essential to improving ICS/SCADA security. But infosec teams will never gain that visibility until they stop trying to observe ICS environments through the eyes of IT professionals. There are fundamental differences in IT and OT (operational technology) gear, processes, and people, say experts.

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  • Dark Reading

    June 21, 2017
     WannaCry Forces Honda to Take Production Plant Offline

    In an example of just how persistent modern cyberthreats can be, automaker Honda Motors had to temporarily stop production at its Sayama plant in Japan this week after being hit by WannaCry, a malware threat the company thought it had mitigated just one month ago. The nearly 48-hour shutdown impacted production of about 1,000 vehicles at the facility, which does engine production and assembly for a line of vehicles incl...

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  • SecurityWeek

    June 16, 2017
     Industry Reactions to 'CrashOverride' Malware: Feedback Friday

    Researchers described some theoretical attack scenarios involving this malware and warned that the threat could be adapted for attacks on other countries, including the U.S., and other sectors. Contacted by SecurityWeek, industry professionals shared some thoughts on the threat posed by CrashOverride/Industroyer, and provided recommendations on how organizations can protect their systems.

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  • CNBC

    June 15, 2017
     Nightly Business Report

    Eddie Habibi, Founder and CEO of PAS, talks to Andrea Day at CNBC about cybersecurity risks for the oil and gas infrastructure. Cybersecurity experts say that oil and gas infrastructure is a target of hackers, and if successful could potentially shut down or interrupt production.

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  • ISS Source

    June 12, 2017
     ICS Malware Linked to Grid Attack

    There is a piece of malware believed to have been used in the December Ukraine substation attack that targeted power grids, researchers said. The malware ended up discovered by ESET, which called it Industroyer. The company also shared some data with ICS cybersecurity company Dragos, which tracks it as CRASHOVERRIDE and the attacker that uses it as ELECTRUM.

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  • Automation World

    May 17, 2017
     Will WannaCry Be Industry’s Cybersecurity Wake-Up Call?

    Possibly the biggest cybersecurity news item to come across the wires since Stuxnet was last week’s news about WannaCry. WannaCry is a type of malware referred to as ransomware because it blocks access to the infected computer’s data until a ransom is paid to regain access. It began infecting Windows-based computers worldwide on Friday, May 12, 2017, through phishing emails and a self-propagating worm feature in the malw...

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  • IICA Technology Expo

    May 17, 2017
     Expert’s Insights on How to Address Wanna Cry Ransomware Types of Attacks

    Last week Wanna Cry cyberattack infected tens of thousands of computers, from manufacturing to hospitals and big industrial organizations, a great opportunity for ICS players to talk about their products/solutions as there were no catastrophic damages yet. In the first phase, the majority of players expressed their opinion about the consequences that such an attack might have on OT. What is the solution to protect a fact...

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  • ISS Source

    May 15, 2017
     How to Protect Against ‘WannaCry’

    WannaCry hit over 200,000 computers, from manufacturing to medical, in at least 174 countries starting Friday and through the beginning of this week and this ransomware attack could easily be prevented if manufacturers just follow some basic steps. The malicious code relied on victims opening a zip file emailed to them and from there the ransomware package used a patched flaw in the Microsoft operating system software to...

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  • SecurityWeek

    May 12, 2017
     Industry Reactions to Trump's Cybersecurity Executive Order

    U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday in an effort to improve the protection of federal networks and critical infrastructure against cyberattacks. The executive order states that the heads of departments and agencies will be held accountable for managing cybersecurity risk. They are required to use NIST’s Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity to manage risk, and they m...

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  • CSO Magazine

    May 12, 2017
     Mixed Reviews for Trump’s Executive Order on Cybersecurity

    The reviews of President Donald Trump’s Executive Order (EO) on cybersecurity were coming in within hours of its signing yesterday afternoon, and they were most definitely mixed. There was general agreement that the intent of the EO – delayed more than three months from late-January, when it was originally scheduled to be signed – was good.

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  • ISS Source

    May 11, 2017
     Industry OK with Trump Security EO

    The cybersecurity executive order contains suggestions considered good ideas by experts, including holding agency heads accountable for cybersecurity. “President Trump’s cybersecurity executive order (EO) addresses the right areas of concern – updated federal systems, critical infrastructure, deterrence, workforce education, and more,” said Eddie Habibi, chief executive and found of Houston-based PAS. “Thankfully, the ex...

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  • IIoT World

    May 5, 2017
     2017 – The “Silence Before the Storm” When it Comes to ICS Breaches

    Cyberespionage is now the most common type of attack seen in manufacturing, the public sector and now education, warns the Verizon 2017 Data Breach Investigations Report, which was published a week ago. Much of this is due to the high proliferation of propriety research, prototypes, and confidential personal data, which are hot-ticket items for cybercriminals. Nearly 2,000 breaches were analyzed in this year's report and...

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  • TechTarget

    April 28, 2017
     Pretexting is a Rising Threat According to 2017 Verizon DBIR

    The 2017 Verizon Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report both highlighted big threats of which the industry is already aware, such as ransomware, as well as under-the-radar threats like pretexting, which can be extremely dangerous in certain situations. The data in the 2017 Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report (DBIR) was gathered from 65 organizations across the world, including analysis of 42,068 incidents and 1,93...

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  • IIoT World

    April 28, 2017
     CEO IIoT Insights: How Can You Secure What You Cannot See in an Industrial Enterprise?

    Companies are flying blind when it comes to 80% of the cyber assets that exist within an industrial process facility. They lack sufficient visibility into what assets they have and how they are configured. Without this data, basic cybersecurity questions remain difficult to answer. For example, did an unauthorized change occur, where are my vulnerabilities, and can I recover quickly if the worst case scenario happens? W...

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  • eWeek

    April 27, 2017
     VC Cash Infusion Helping Security Vendors Bolster Efforts

    PAS Global mentioned in eWeek. VC Cash Infusion Helping Security Vendors Bolster Efforts. Securing industrial control systems is a growing market for cybersecurity vendors, which is why Houston-based PAS announced on April 11 that it raised $40 million in a new round of funding. The new funding was led by Tinicum L.P.

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  • CyberScoop

    April 27, 2017
     Verizon’s Annual Data Breach Report is Depressing Reading, Again

    The takeaway from the 10th annual Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report is depressingly familiar: Of the 1,935 breaches analyzed, 88 percent were accomplished using a familiar list of nine attack vectors, meaning they could probably have been prevented by a few simple cyber-hygiene measures.

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  • Fast Company

    April 27, 2017
     Why Even Our Water Supply Is Not Safe From Hackers

    “Weapons of mass destruction don’t have to be physical bombs that move from one location to another—they can be these ticking bombs in these control systems that …cause severe damage and bring down the critical infrastructure of a country.” says Eddie Habibi, founder and CEO of the Houston-based ICS security firm PAS.

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  • Automation World

    April 27, 2017
     Investments Boost Industrial Cybersecurity

    You’ve likely noticed an increase in the number of new entrants into the industrial control system (ICS) cybersecurity field over the past year or so. Even longstanding companies in this space have been expanding their cybersecurity-related products and services. Further evidence of the increasing interest in this space can be seen in the outside investments being made here. A case in point is the investment of $40 milli...

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  • Automation.com

    April 17, 2017
     PAS announces $40 million investment to fuel cybersecurity efforts

    PAS, a provider of ICS cybersecurity, process safety, and asset reliability solutions for the energy, power, and process industries, announced a $40 million growth investment by Tinicum, L.P. and certain affiliated funds managed by Tinicum Incorporated (“Tinicum”). Tinicum is a private investment partnership focused on late stage investments in manufacturing, energy, technology, media, and infrastructure.

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  • SecurityWeek

    April 14, 2017
     Veteran Industrial Cybersecurity Firm PAS Raises $40 Million

    With deep roots in software solutions for process safety and asset reliability for industrial firms, Houston, TX-based PAS announced this week that it has taken a $40 Million investment that will be used to fuel its Industrial control system (ICS) cybersecurity business. PAS has been around for 23 years and says its solutions are deployed in more than 1,100 facilities globally in more than 70 countries.

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  • ISS Source

    April 12, 2017
     PAS Looks to Expand Security Business

    PAS gained a $40 million growth investment from Tinicum, L.P. This funding round is a move to expand PAS sales and marketing as well as increase research and development for its security software product, Cyber Integrity. Cyber Integrity protects critical infrastructure from risks associated with rising Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) adoption, malicious cyber attacks, and insider threats.

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  • WSJ

    April 11, 2017
     Tinicum Invests $40 Million in Industrial Software Maker PAS

    PAS Global, LLC, a maker of software for industrial businesses, secured a $40 million growth investment from Tinicum. The Houston-based company sells software that monitors the security and safety of industrial control systems for more than 520 customers including chemical, refining and power generation companies.

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  • Houston Business Journal

    April 11, 2017
     After $40 million capital raise, Houston cybersecurity firm outlines growth plans

    Houston-based PAS Global LLC announced April 11 it has raised $40 million in its first capital raise as it plans to triple its headcount over the next three years. PAS is a cybersecurity company that largely services the oil and gas industry. Founded in Clear Lake in 1993, the company now has roughly 150 employees.

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  • eSecurity Planet

    April 11, 2017
     PAS Raises $40M in New Funding to Secure Industrial Control Systems

    Securing Industrial Control Systems (ICS) is a growing market for cybersecurity vendors, which is why Houston-based PAS announced on April 11 that it is raising a new $40 million round of funding. The new funding was led by Tincum L.P. The new money will be used by PAS to help grow the company's go-to-market efforts as well as its technology development.

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  • CRN

    April 11, 2017
     Industrial IoT Security Company PAS Raises $40 Million Funding

    Houston's PAS, a security firm focused on industrial control systems, has raised $40 million as the company looks to expand its channel program for operational technology (OT) security. PAS, which provides security for industrial control systems – including distributed control systems, programmable logic controllers, turbo machinery controls, and compressor control systems – wants to broaden its sales approach and invol...

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  • Power Magazine

    April 1, 2017
     The Future Is Now: Connected Power Plants Are Here

    While there are undeniably potential security risks related to connecting a power plant’s systems, that should not necessarily be a deterrent to doing so, according to Mark Carrigan, COO of PAS Inc. The potential benefits of integrating IIoT technology into a plant’s operation can outweigh the cybersecurity risks, as long as the plant operator addresses the risks, he said.

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  • SC Magazine

    February 23, 2017
     Trump Gets Mixed Reviews on Cybersecurity, One Month In

    There is some debate on whether a 60-day cybersecurity review is worthwhile. Let's not miss the irony of a leaked executive order as a proof point that our federal government needs better security around information. Can officials perform such a review in time to provide solid recommendations? Many departments can as they've performed this exercise previously.

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  • SecurityWeek

    January 23, 2017
     Overhyped Media Reports Bad For ICS Security: Experts

    Overblown media reports describing critical infrastructure incidents can have a negative impact on cybersecurity in the industrial control systems (ICS) sector, experts have warned. The number of attacks aimed at ICS has reportedly increased in the past year and several incidents have been disclosed to the public. However, some of the mainstream media reports covering these attacks have been sensationalized or inaccurate.

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  • SecurityWeek

    January 17, 2017
     Critical Infrastructure Security: Risks Posed by IT Network Breaches

    There have been several incidents recently where a critical infrastructure organization’s IT systems were breached or became infected with malware. SecurityWeek has reached out to several ICS security experts to find out if these types of attacks are an indicator of a weak security posture, which could lead to control systems also getting hacked.

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  • Dark Reading

    January 10, 2017
     Molecular Cybersecurity Vs. Information Cybersecurity

    When it comes to industrial processes, security begins at the molecular level. Not all cybersecurity risk is created equal. Case in point: when Sony was hacked, information was stolen, systems were wiped, and society was temporarily deprived of a Seth Rogan movie. These were mostly bad outcomes, and Sony certainly suffered a significant financial loss.

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  • SC Magazine

    December 20, 2016
     The State of Nation-State Attacks

    Attacks on government and private sector targets are rampant. Experts are skittish when it comes to attribution, reports Larry Jaffee. Electric grids remain a target for cyberattacks, notes David Zahn, general manager of the cybersecurity business unit for PAS, a Houston-based provider of process safety, cybersecurity and asset services for the energy, power, and process industries.

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  • The Huffington Post

    December 15, 2016
     Security Companies Seek Information Sharing, Standards From Trump Administration

    Operations management and cybersecurity company PAS anticipates an uptick in cybersecurity regulation, but warns that doesn’t always lead to tightened security. “Federal regulation is a double-edged sword,” says David Zahn, general manager of cybersecurity at PAS. “On one side, it forces nationwide attention and, more importantly, investment that might otherwise happen too slowly. Unfortunately, good compliance does not...

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  • Help Net Security

    December 2016
     ICS Cybersecurity: Futurism vs. Here and Now

    (Page 27) Dire prognostications make for great headlines, but not every crystal ball gives an accurate picture of the future. If we want to find existential threats in the here and now, we need look no further than cybersecurity within industrial facilities and power plants. Unlike breaches that lead to financial or information loss, a breach within an industrial site can bring injury to people and environment as well as...

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  • Threatpost

    December 12, 2016
     German Industrial Giant Victim of Cyber Espionage

    Data stolen from ThyssenKrupp may not yield hackers a huge payday, but instead enable them to cause significant damage to future operations of the company, according to David Zahn, general manager of PAS, an industrial control system cybersecurity firm. “Instead of making a large cash withdrawal, hackers could disrupt production or worse; cause significant physical damage to production equipment, the environment or even ...

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  • Automation World

    October 2016
     Safety Lifecycle Management

    PAS rolls out IPL Assurance software with real-time predictive analytics that monitor the health and availability of Independent Protection Layers which enable operators to ascertain the overall risk profile of a facility. The safety structure of complex process control systems is designed in multiple layers in order to ensure an equipment “event” is caught way before it starts. This multi-tiered set up is based on Safet...

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  • The UK Register

    October 2016
     Schneider Electric Plugs Gaping Hole in Industrial Control Kit

    David Zahn, general manager at PAS, Inc, a provider of industrial control systems cybersecurity technology, added that further flaws along the lines of the one successfully resolved by Schneider are inevitable because industrial control technology was never designed with security in mind. “It is good that cybersecurity companies are disclosing these vulnerabilities and following good ethical disclosure practices, but no...

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  • IT World Canada

    October 2016
     Another Warning of a Vulnerability in Industrial Control Systems

    David Zahn, general manager at PAS, Inc., a provider of ICS cybersecurity, was at the session and said in an email that it is good that cybersecurity companies are disclosing these vulnerabilities and following good ethical disclosure practices. But, he added, no one should be surprised that such vulnerabilities exist.

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  • ISS Source

    October 2016
     Process Analytics Safety Tool Launches

    Safety risk remains a top priority for all companies in the process industries, but knowing if and when an incident may occur is not so cut and dried. Along those lines, PAS Inc. launched a tool Wednesday that can not only provide visibility into what is going on, it can also offer real-time predictive analytics on the health and availability of the safety instrumented systems (SIS), alarm management systems, and other I...

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  • Automation World

    October 2016
     How to Keep Shutdowns from Becoming Disasters

    In process industries like oil and gas and chemicals, the ability to identify shifts in patterns that could eventually cause problems is critical. That’s because a seemingly simple issue, like a pump malfunction, could result in a not so natural disaster. From oil spills to gas leaks and fires, manufacturing incidents are still fairly frequent. And when death, injury and environmental destruction are involved, company ex...

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  • Chemical Engineering

    October 2016
     You Cannot Secure What You Cannot See

    In industrial facilities, cyber incidents typically result from three basic scenarios: a malicious attack from an outside individual or group; a cyber incident that results from an engineer making a mistake that alters a control process or diminishes safe operations; or the work of a disgruntled employee or ex-employee. No matter which of these scenarios you believe is real or presents the most risk, companies must take ...

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  • Processing Magazine

    September 2016
     Combatting the Insider Threat

    Visibility into a facility’s proprietary control system configurations is a prerequisite for cybersecurity. According to IBM’s 2016 Cyber Security Intelligence Index report, 44.5 percent of all cyberattacks in 2015 — up from 31.5 percent the previous year — were perpetrated by malicious insiders. An additional 15.5 percent resulted from inadvertent actors. Process plants are not immune to these attacks.

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  • March 2016
     Interview: Eddie Habibi, CEO of PAS at the ARC Industry Forum

    Founder and CEO of PAS interviews with the ARC Advisory Group at the 2016 ARC Industry Forum. ARC Advisory Group is the leading technology research and advisory firm for industry and infrastructure. Their coverage of technology and trends extends from business systems to product and asset lifecycle management, Industrial IoT, Industry 4.0, supply chain management, operations management, energy optimization and automation...

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  • Chemical Engineering

    March 2016
     Understand and Cure High Alarm Rates

    Modern distributed control systems (DCS) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are highly capable at controlling chemical processes. However, when incorrectly configured, which is often the case, they also excel at another task - generating alarms. It is common to find alarm rates that exceed thousands per day or per shift at some chemical process industries (CPI) facilities. This is a far greater...

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  • Automation World

    January 2016
     Taking Abnormal Situation Management to the Outer Limits

    As the plant floor becomes more connected, so do abnormal situations—which can originate from anywhere in the enterprise. To help operators navigate this new universe of anomalies, suppliers are turning to artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies that enable proactive situational awareness vs. reactive alarm management.

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  • January 2016
     Industrial IIOT: An Opportunity for Fast-Moving Innovators; a Threat to Slow-Moving...

    The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) presents a unique opportunity to speed up the slow-moving technology adoption lifecycle that is inherent to the industrial sector for operational technologies (OT). This is a sector that – for all the right reasons related to safety, security, and continuity – is relatively slow to adopt new technologies.

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  • December 2015
    Using Process Graphics to Maximize Operator Effectiveness

    For three decades, the process industries have been using sophisticated Distributed Control Systems (DCS) or Site Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems for process control. These use real-time process control graphics as the Human-Machine Interface (HMI) for the operator. But when we installed these systems, there were no available guidelines as to what constituted a “good” graphic.

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  • November 2015
    Securing Industrial Control Systems from the Inside and Out

    For the last several months, officials from PAS have been traveling the globe talking to manufacturing executives about best practices for securing industrial control systems (ICS). A few years ago these trips were focused on educating companies on the vulnerabilities of the ICS. But today, interestingly, CIOs and cybersecurity professionals understand that the safeguards currently in place only scratch the network surface.

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  • November 2015
    A New Take On ICS Cybersecurity

    Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Cybersecurity risks have become so public that CEOs and Board members are sponsoring projects within their companies and raising visibility of the issue. PAS Inc. CEO Eddie Habibi and General Manager of Cybersecurity and CMO David Zahn shared that news with me during a conversation this week regarding the release of a new version of PAS Cyber Integrity (5.0).

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  • November 2015
     IT/OT Convergence Rolls On

    PAS, which is well known for its Integrity software, has perhaps solved the problem with its new release of Cyber Integrity 5.0, a part of the PAS Integrity Software Suite, according to David Zahn, general manager of the cyber security business unit at PAS. PAS Cyber Integrity is based upon the proven PAS Integrity platform, and it automates internal and regulatory compliance reporting while reducing associated efforts b...

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  • July 2015
    Pick the Real Culprit

    Standards on alarm management have continued to evolve since the June 2009 publication of ISA-18.2, the first true standard on alarm management applicable to U.S. companies. Alarm management standards went global in October 2014 with the release of the international standard IEC 62682.

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  • May 2015
     PAS Adds Cybersecurity Business Unit

    Recognizing the need for a bulletproof security framework for industrial control systems, PAS Inc., a provider of asset and configuration management for distributed control systems (DCS), has formed a new Cyber Security Business Unit focused on providing products and services to protect the core configuration of the control system. In addition to the announcement of a new division, PAS rolled out the latest version of it...

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  • May 2015
     Security Evolution at PAS

    Cyber security issues continue to grow throughout the manufacturing automation sector and that is becoming clearer with new players trying to capitalize on the latest buzzwords to garner a foothold, but sometimes the answer to a problem has been in front of you all along. At least that is what PAS believes as the Houston-based asset reliability provider today launched a new cyber security business unit focused on configu...

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  • April 2015
     Technology Toolbox: Security Inside and Out

    Protecting industrial plants and their machines, networks, information systems, and personnel from threats is a management duty. New tools are designed to help companies comply with NERC’s Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) requirements, OSHA’s Process Safety Management (PSM) standards, the ISA/IEC-62443 standards, and other external and internal security measures. Following are products meant to help companies man...

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  • February 2015
     Modern Age Plant Safety: Are We Pulling a Car with an Old Horse?

    Human error ties to all industrial accidents in one shape or form. “Hold on! Pumps fail and cause incidents all the time,” you might say. Yet, why do pumps fail? Often it is due to improper maintenance. Sometimes it might be because of shoddy design. Even with the pump failing to perform, there is still often an opportunity to avoid an incident if a console operator takes timely corrective actions. No matter the situatio...

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  • Chemical Processing

    January 2015
     Interest Builds in State-Based Control

    State-based control isn’t new but chemical companies now are showing increasing interest in the approach, according to vendors such as ABB, PAS, ProSys and Siemens. This has much to do with the 2010 launch of the ISA106 committee on Procedure Automation for Continuous Process Operations by the International Society for Automation, Research Triangle Park, N.C. Prior to this, only a small number of chemical companies, nota...

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  • Automation World

    July 2014
     Upgrading that '70s Interface

    The move to distributed control systems that deliver data in a digital format made old interfaces obsolete. But what some thought were improvements were actually obstacles. Today, understanding human error and ability, as well as industrial processes, helps engineers think like operators when it comes to redesigning control rooms and alarm-management systems. BASF and Southern Company explain what they’ve done.

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  • Industrial Automation Insider

    June 2014
     PAS: The Little Engine that Could! PAS Technical Conference 2014

    PAS is celebrating their 20th anniversary. Founder Eddie Habibi and his team threw a much larger party for the PAS Technology Conference 2014 than you'd expect from the company size. It was a respectable sized User Group meeting, too, with over 130 people from several countries in attendance. The conference keynotes by Eddie Habibi and FBI Special Agent Angela Haun were proceed by a press conference in which PAS CEO Habi...

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  • ISS Source

    February 2014
     Integrated Platform Boosts Human Response

    When you think about the automation, asset reliability and mechanical reliability we’ve been investing in our plants for the past 40 years, it’s no wonder we’ve designed in some pretty amazing technologies to boost overall plant reliability. While the mechanical side has seen an upturn, the human side of reliability needs some work.

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  • InTech

    December 2013
     Next Frontier: Operator-Automation Relationship

    Preclude operator error, improve safety and profitability. Industrial control systems are ocmplex designs, but they do not give much consideration to the needs of the human operator. This oversight has caused serious and costly accidents. By empowering operators with the right hman-automation relationship tools, companies will achieve and exceed their goals.

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  • Automation.com

    October 2013
     As Built Documentation Goes Real-Time, Supports Cyber Security & Greater Efficiency

    Anyone in the automation profession has experienced frustration in troubleshooting a problem or adding something new to control systems where the “as built” documentation does not match the installed system. This gap in documentation results in a significant amount of wasted man-hours and increased MTTR (Mean Time To Repair). In addition, cyber security requirements and regulations require up-to-date “as built” documenta...

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  • Automation World

    October 2013
     Process Safety Futures

    Conventional control systems are inherently limited in their ability to make cognitively complex decisions. Most operations are based on central operator consoles that require training and need close attention. They display too much data and too little relevant information. In crisis situations, with many hundreds and even thousands of simultaneous alarms, physical cooperation and communications become overwhelming and h...

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  • Automation World

    May 2013
     Trend Watch: Cyber Security Dashboards for NERC CIP Compliance

    Southern Company’s approach to NERC CIP compliance holds lessons for the manufacturing and processing industries as cybersecurity becomes a business imperative. For Southern Company, cybersecurity is not optional. They are required to address NERC cybersecurity standards, which, according to Southern Company’s systems analyst Larry Spoonemore, includes: maintaining an inventory of all assets and cyber devices/systems at ...

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  • Automation World

    May 2013
     Trend Watch: Operator HMI Development

    Industry conferences frequently offer a great chance to see new technologies up close along with the opportunity to hear various end users talk about their experience with those technologies. Less frequently, however, do you catch a bit of insight that could harbinger technology applications across industry.

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  • Automation World

    April 2013
     Barriers to Human Reliability

    The PAS conference in Houston last week primarily focused on the concept of Human Reliability, which, in essence, is the science of minimizing human error in service of greater safety, compliance and, ultimately, profitability. Highlighting the fact that this idea is not simply a pet concept of PAS—which is rebranding itself as “The Human Reliability Company”—the PAS conference featured a number of end user presenters fr...

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  • Automation World

    April 2013
     The Human-Automation Intersection

    It may not be a new concept, considering its roots can be found in H.W. Heinrich’s study of industrial safety in the 1930s, but the idea of “Human Reliability” certainly seems to be catching on across industry. Beyond the benefits of increased safety and improving the appeal of industrial work to new and existing employees, Human Reliability is also being lauded for its positive impact on productivity. A showcase example...

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  • ISS Source

    April 2013
     PAS: Visibility Across Enterprise

    Visibility of control system data remains a top priority for refineries these days as the entire enterprise needs to see what is going on throughout the process. “We are constantly getting pressure to get the data as visible and transparent as possible to a variety of different groups,” said Jason Bottjen, manager of control systems engineering at Valero Energy Corp., during his talk Tuesday at the PAS Technical Conferen...

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  • ISS Source

    April 2013
     PAS: One Way Communications Works

    That is why there were two companies – Waterfall Security Solutions and Owl Computing — talking differing technologies at the PAS Technical Conference in Houston, but saying one way communication is a very effective security tool. ake the Shamoon attack this past August. RasGas suffered from the attack last August and it forced the company to disconnect completely from the network.

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  • ISS Source

    April 2013
     PAS: Security a Productivity Enhancer

    Larry Spoonemore knows the advantages of cyber security go beyond just securing the plant. He knows it can be a productivity enhancer. “You will find if you manage the issues and over a period of time, you will improve productivity,” said Spoonemore, the control system integrity coordinator at energy provider Southern Company during his talk Tuesday on Automated Management of Cyber Security Assets at the PAS Technical Co...

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  • ISS Source

    Aprpil 2013
     PAS: Human Reliability

    It is time to focus on human reliability. “We have done a fantastic job in improving productivity, let’s try to prevent human error,” said Eddie Habibi, chief executive and founder of PAS, during his keynote address Tuesday at the PAS Technical Conference in Houston. “Human error is to human reliability as pump failure is to asset reliability.” In these days of faster, better, more, the reliance on technology is becoming...

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  • What's New In Process Technology

    May 2012
     To Err is Human

    Using Technology to Try to Solve the Problem is Equally Human. Humans are wonderful, complex beings. That our very name, homo sapiens, can be translated to wise man, is an indication of our intelligence. We have the ability and capacity to do so much and, along with our advanced language capability, we can reason, problem-solve, introspect and quickly adapt to current conditions around us. But we are not infallible.

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  • Industrial Automation Asia

    December 2011
     Qatargas Selects PAS For Site-wide Alarm System Improvement Project

    PAS, a supplier of human reliability software and services to the power and processing industries worldwide, has announced that Qatargas, the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer, has chosen PAS’ PlantState Suite alarm management software and engineering services for an improvement project across all their units.

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  • Connecting Industry

    June 2011
     A Modern Era for HMIs and Alarm Management Systems

    Iconon any company, an employee’s performance affects its productivity, profitability, and reputation. In manufacturing, the link is immediately apparent because the process is directly controlled by the real-time actions of a console operator. If that operator makes a critical mistake, the entire company may be adversely affected.

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  • Control Engineering Asia

    May 2011
     A Human Focus

    In most process industries, manufacturing is directly controlled by the real-time actions of a console operator. If that operator makes a critical mistake, the entire company and its shareholders may be adversely affected. The disciplines of Human Factors and Ergonomics explore the way humans interact within their work environment. Every individual’s job performance directly impacts safety, production, and profitability ...

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  • Industrial Automation Insider

    January 2011
     Hard-won experience of alarm management

    This alarm management problem leads on to a look at the practical and pragmatic approach adopted in the second edition of “The Alarm Management Handbook,” by Bill Hollifield, Principal Alarm Management Consultant for PAS, and Eddie Habibi, founder and ceo of PAS: incidentally Hollifield is also co-author of “The High Performance HMI Handbook.”

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  • Automazione Industriale

    September 2010
     Protecting knowledge improves processes

    As a leading player in the field of automation and information technology decreasing the time to implement automation and information projects while reducing risk are key priorities for Invensys Operations Management. Recently, Invensys has adopted PAS’ Integrity Software in order to automate the capture and management of the highly complex configuration of process automation assets, from field devices to advanced applic...

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  • Manufacturing Automation

    June 2010
     High Performance HMIs

    A new era of the human-machine interface (HMI) is upon us. Harsher safety and compliance standards have persuaded many operating companies to replace their “traditional” graphics with high-performance HMIs – a move that is sure to make life easier for plant operators everywhere. When graphic operator display capabilities were first introduced into distributed control systems (DCS) in the late 1970s, there were no guideli...

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  • ARC Advisory Group

    September 2009
     PAS Improves Operations and Automation Effectiveness

    PAS provides Operations and Automation Effectiveness solutions to the process industries. PAS improves operations effectiveness by maximizing operators’ situational awareness; enabling them to take the most beneficial actions during both steady state operations and abnormal situations. PAS’ Integrity software improves automation effectiveness by mapping and managing configuration for the ever-increasing number of complex...

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  • Industrial Automation Insider

    August 2009
     PAS sets out to map the Automation Genome

    PAS sets out to map the ‘Automation Genome’ Process automation users increasingly find themselves between the Scylla of growing complexity and the Charybdis of diminishing resource. OK, pretentious, but at least rather less cliché ridden than a rock and a hard place!

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  • InTech

    November 2007
     Stop Designing for Failure

    "All accidents are preventable." This is a powerful statement that inspires professional men and women in their quest for a safer working environment. We believe it to be true because otherwise we would have to accept failure. And when it comes to human life, failure is not an acceptable option. But is it true? Reality seems at odds with our belief.

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  • World Oil

    September 2006
     Alarm Systems Greatly Affect Offshore Facilities Amid High Oil Prices

    By following seven key steps, operators can create highly effective, reliable alarm systems to optimize offshore production facilities' operation. Reliability of oil and gas production facilities has never been more important. Poorly performing alarm systems negatively impact reliability and production. They can interfere with, rather than assist, the operator in handling an abnormal situation.

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