Cybersecurity in industrial automation is often associated with encryption, authentication, and increasingly complex communication protocols. While these technologies are essential at higher levels of industrial networks, the field level requires a different perspective.

With the publication of its new AS-Interface Security Guide, the AS-International Association demonstrates that effective cybersecurity begins with a system architecture that minimizes attack surfaces before additional protection mechanisms become necessary.

Designed for the floor level of industrial automation, AS-Interface operates on a dedicated two-wire communication system that is physically separated from Ethernet networks. Combined with the recognized security concepts for Ethernet-based systems, this architecture provides a robust foundation for protecting sensors, actuators and machine I/O against cyber threats while maintaining the simplicity and reliability required in industrial environments.

Rather than promising security through increasingly complex protocol features, the Security Guide explains how secure deployment, physical protection, and proper system architecture work together to achieve resilient automation systems.

The guide provides practical recommendations for machine builders, system integrators, and plant operators. It analyses the security capabilities of the AS-Interface protocol, identifies realistic threat scenarios, and explains how AS-Interface supports the fundamental security objectives of system integrity and availability.

The publication also supports manufacturers and users in addressing the increasing cybersecurity expectations arising from international standards and regulatory initiatives, including the European Cyber Resilience Act.

For more than 30 years, AS-Interface has focused on simple, reliable, and deterministic communication at the sensor/actuator level. The new Security Guide demonstrates that this design philosophy also provides significant advantages for cybersecurity.

Because secure systems are not only built by adding security functions—they are built on the right architecture, because not every sensor needs Ethernet to be secure.

Download: AS-Interface_Security_Guide_V1Rev0.pdf