Next generation of SCADA industrial controls will protect against cyber attack

Oil, energy and chemical companies are rethinking how to control big manufacturing plants, replacing expensive control technology with cheaper, more secure systems, taking their cue from biology. Oil refineries, paper companies and pharmaceutical firms are developing a new generation of secure industrial control technology that will offer better protection against attacks on critical manufacturing infrastructure from malware and state-sponsored hackers. More than 120 companies, including ExonMobil, DuPont and Lockheed Martin, are taking part in a fast-track collaborative project that aims to develop highly secure, lower-cost ways to control industrial plants.