Standards Comparison

    IEC 62443

    Voluntary
    2018

    International standard for IACS cybersecurity across lifecycle

    VS

    ISO 28000

    Voluntary
    2022

    International standard for supply chain security management systems

    Quick Verdict

    IEC 62443 secures industrial control systems via zones, security levels, and certifications for OT environments. ISO 28000 builds supply chain security management systems for resilience. Companies adopt IEC 62443 for IACS cyber defense; ISO 28000 for holistic chain risk governance.

    Industrial Cybersecurity

    IEC 62443

    IEC 62443: Industrial automation and control systems security

    Cost
    €€€€
    Complexity
    Medium
    Implementation Time
    18-24 months

    Key Features

    • Risk-based zones/conduits with Target Security Levels
    • Shared responsibility for owners, integrators, suppliers
    • Seven Foundational Requirements across FR1-FR7
    • SL-T, SL-C, SL-A triad for assurance lifecycle
    • ISASecure modular certifications for components/SDLA
    Supply Chain Security

    ISO 28000

    ISO 28000:2022 Security management systems requirements

    Cost
    €€€€
    Complexity
    High
    Implementation Time
    12-18 months

    Key Features

    • Risk-based supply chain security management system
    • PDCA cycle for continual improvement and audits
    • Integration with ISO HLS standards like 27001, 22301
    • Supplier governance and third-party risk controls
    • Incident response and resilience planning requirements

    Detailed Analysis

    A comprehensive look at the specific requirements, scope, and impact of each standard.

    IEC 62443 Details

    What It Is

    IEC 62443 is the ISA/IEC series of standards for securing Industrial Automation and Control Systems (IACS). This consensus-based framework addresses OT cybersecurity across governance, risk assessment, system architecture, and product development. Its risk-based approach uses zones/conduits and security levels (SL 0–4) to tailor protections to attacker capabilities and operational constraints.

    Key Components

    • Four groupings: General (-1), Policies (-2), System (-3), Components (-4).
    • Seven Foundational Requirements (FR1–7) like IAC, RDF, RA, mapped to system requirements (SRs) and component requirements (CRs).
    • Maturity levels (ML1–4) and SL-T/SL-C/SL-A triad.
    • ISASecure certifications: SDLA (-4-1), CSA (-4-2), SSA (-3-3).

    Why Organizations Use It

    • Mitigates OT risks to safety, availability, production.
    • Enables supplier qualification, procurement specs, insurance benefits.
    • Builds stakeholder trust via certifications; horizontal standard for cross-sector compliance.
    • Supports modernization (IIoT, cloud) with defense-in-depth.

    Implementation Overview

    Phased: CSMS governance (-2-1), risk assessment/zoning (-3-2), controls (-3-3/-4-2), supplier SDL (-4-1). Applies to critical infrastructure globally; requires audits, certifications for assurance. Multi-year for large orgs.

    ISO 28000 Details

    What It Is

    ISO 28000:2022 is an international management system standard specifying requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and improving a security management system (SMS) focused on supply chain security and resilience. It uses a risk-based, PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) approach to protect people, assets, goods, infrastructure, and information across supply chains.

    Key Components

    • Clauses 4-10 cover context, leadership, planning, support, operation, performance evaluation, and improvement.
    • Emphasizes risk assessment, security policies, operational controls, supplier governance, incident response, internal audits, and management reviews.
    • Built on ISO High Level Structure (HLS) for integration with standards like ISO 9001, 22301, 27001.
    • Optional third-party certification via accredited bodies per ISO 28003.

    Why Organizations Use It

    • Mitigates risks like theft, sabotage, disruptions; enables trade facilitation and insurance savings.
    • Meets contractual, regulatory expectations (e.g., C-TPAT equivalents).
    • Builds stakeholder trust, competitive edge in logistics, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals.

    Implementation Overview

    • Phased: gap analysis, risk assessment, controls deployment, training, audits (6-36 months).
    • Scalable for all sizes/industries; focuses on supply chain mapping and proportionality.

    Key Differences

    Scope

    IEC 62443
    IACS/OT cybersecurity lifecycle, zones/conduits, SLs
    ISO 28000
    Supply chain security management system, risks/controls

    Industry

    IEC 62443
    Industrial automation, critical infrastructure, cross-sector
    ISO 28000
    Logistics, manufacturing, transport, all supply chains

    Nature

    IEC 62443
    Voluntary technical standards series, ISASecure certification
    ISO 28000
    Voluntary management system standard, third-party certification

    Testing

    IEC 62443
    ISASecure modular certs (CSA/SSA/SDLA), SL-A verification
    ISO 28000
    Internal audits, management reviews, Stage 1/2 certification

    Penalties

    IEC 62443
    No legal penalties, loss of certification/market access
    ISO 28000
    No legal penalties, loss of certification/reputation damage

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Common questions about IEC 62443 and ISO 28000

    IEC 62443 FAQ

    ISO 28000 FAQ

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