Manufacturing and process
Chemical
Chemical plants handle toxic and flammable material under heat and pressure. Safety comes first, and every security control has to respect that.
How the process runs
From feedstock to product
Feedstock is stored, reacted, separated and purified, then packed and shipped. Continuous plants run for years between turnarounds; batch plants change recipes by the week.
Stage 1: Feedstock storage
Raw materials arrive by pipeline, rail or truck and are held in tank farms.
Control systemsTank farm automationUnloading PLCsGas detectionStage 3: Separation
Distillation, filtration and drying separate the product from by-products.
Control systemsDCSAdvanced process controlOnline analysersChallenge2Stage 4: Utilities
Steam, cooling water, nitrogen and power support the process.
Control systemsUtility DCSBoiler controlCompressor PLCsStage 5: Packing and dispatch
Product is filled, packed and loaded for shipment.
Control systemsFilling PLCsLoading automationStage 6: Effluent and emissions
Waste streams are treated and emissions monitored before release.
Control systemsEffluent treatment PLCsEmissions monitoringFlare control
Attackers rarely go straight for a controller. They travel through these shared systems, so this is where we look first.
For product makers
Building products for chemical plants?
Control and safety systems in chemical plants come from a small group of makers, and the plant owner needs their security evidence to complete its own safety work.
- Safety instrumented systems
- DCS and batch software
- Online analysers
- Package units and skid control systems
- Gas detection systems
Owners must assess SIS security (clause 8.2.4) and need the maker's security guidance to do it.
Certified components and a secure development process, especially for safety systems.
Products sold in the EU need CE marking under the CRA from 11 December 2027.
For plant owners
Where it gets hard, and how we tackle it
We start from how your process runs, fix what matters most first, and use what you already own wherever we can.
Security must never weaken safety
An antivirus scan, a firewall rule or a patch that delays a safety function can cause the incident it was meant to prevent. IEC 61511 also asks for a security risk assessment of the SIS, which many plants still do not have.
How we tackle itWe run the SIS security risk assessment with your process safety team, use your HAZOP to rank consequences, and keep the SIS independent. Every recommendation is checked against your safety case first.
Risk AssessmentOld DCS, rare turnarounds
Control systems often stay in service for decades and change only at turnarounds, years apart.
How we tackle itWe plan security changes into your turnaround schedule and protect the plant with compensating controls in the meantime.
Strategy & RoadmapThe recipe is the business
For specialty chemicals, formulations and batch recipes are the value, and they sit on servers and engineering stations that are often reachable from the office network.
How we tackle itWe find every copy of recipe data, restrict and log access to it, and separate batch servers from the business network.
Cybersecurity SolutionsA cyber incident is a process safety incident
When screens freeze or values look wrong, operators must decide fast: trust the SIS, go to manual, or shut down.
How we tackle itTabletop exercises that bring together the control room, process safety and IT, built on your own emergency procedures.
Incident Response TTX
Where plant owners usually start
Three ways in
Rules and standards
What applies in chemical
- IEC 62443International
Zones, conduits and security levels, applied alongside the plant safety lifecycle.
- IEC 61511International
Functional safety for safety instrumented systems. Clause 8.2.4 requires a security risk assessment of the SIS.
- ISA-TR84.00.09-2024International guidance
How to handle cybersecurity within the safety lifecycle.
- NIS2European Union
Covers the manufacture, production and distribution of chemicals above size thresholds.
- NCA OTCC-1:2022Saudi Arabia
Mandatory OT controls for critical national infrastructure operators, built on the NCA Essential Cybersecurity Controls.
Talk to RelyBlue
Operating in chemical?
An honest conversation about your OT environment. No sales pressure, no fear tactics.
- You talk to a senior advisor, never a salesperson