IEC 62443
What it is — IEC 62443 is a series of international standards developed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) for the security of Industrial Automation and Control Systems (IACS). It addresses cybersecurity for operational technology (OT) environments including manufacturing, energy, water treatment, and other industrial sectors. The standard is organized into four parts: General, Policies and Procedures, System, and Component.
Appsec relevance — IEC 62443 primarily addresses OT/IACS security, which is a different domain from web application security. However, modern industrial systems increasingly include web-based HMIs (Human-Machine Interfaces), REST APIs for system integration, and cloud-connected dashboards. Where these web components exist, DAST testing has relevance.
How Detectify Supports IEC 62443
| Requirement | What it requires | Detectify Capability | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| SR 3.2 — Malicious code protection | Protect against, detect, report, and mitigate the effects of malicious code or unauthorized software | Injection detection (SQL, command, code injection) for web-facing industrial interfaces | Partial |
| SR 1.1–1.3 — User identification and authentication | Identify and authenticate all human users before allowing system access | Authentication bypass and default credential testing for web-based HMIs and management interfaces | Partial |
| SR 2.1 — Authorization enforcement | Enforce assigned privileges for authenticated users to perform specific operations | Access control vulnerability detection (CWE-284 , CWE-285 ) in web-based control interfaces | Partial |
| SR 3.5 — Input validation | Validate the syntax and content of inputs used in supervisory and interface functions | Injection testing (CWE-89 , CWE-78 , CWE-79 , CWE-94 ) for web-accessible industrial system interfaces | Partial |
| CR 7.6 — Configuration settings | Ensure network and security configuration settings are in accordance with the recommended guidelines | Security misconfiguration detection in web interfaces, default credentials, exposed admin panels | Partial |
| SR 3.1 — Communication integrity | Protect the integrity of transmitted information across communication channels | Not covered for OT protocols (Modbus, OPC UA, etc.) — only web/TLS communication | Limited |
| SR 4.1–4.3 — Information confidentiality and integrity | Protect the confidentiality and integrity of information at rest and in transit | Not covered for IACS data flows — only for web interface data | Limited |
What Detectify Covers
Detectify has limited applicability to IEC 62443. Its coverage is restricted to the web-based components of industrial systems — HMIs with web interfaces, REST APIs for system integration, and cloud-connected management dashboards. For these web components, Detectify can identify injection vulnerabilities, authentication weaknesses, and security misconfigurations.
The core of IEC 62443 — OT protocol security, network zone segmentation, physical safety, real-time control system integrity, and IACS-specific requirements — is entirely outside DAST scope.
If your industrial systems include web-based interfaces, Detectify’s Application Scanning and API Scanning can test those interfaces for vulnerabilities. Surface Monitoring can discover exposed industrial system interfaces that should not be internet-accessible. However, Detectify should not be considered a primary tool for IEC 62443 compliance.
Complementary Tools You May Need
- OT-specific security tools — For Modbus, OPC UA, and other industrial protocol testing
- Network segmentation analysis — For zone and conduit architecture validation
- IACS vulnerability scanners — For control system-specific vulnerabilities
- Safety instrumented system (SIS) assessment — For safety-critical function validation
- OT network monitoring — For industrial network traffic analysis
- Secure development lifecycle tools — For IEC 62443-4-1 compliance
- Configuration management for OT — For CR 7.6 configuration settings