In order to block any potential malware attacks, KHS has introduced a special whitelisting system for old and new versions of the HMI
Image: KHS provides customer-oriented HMI upgrades. Photo: courtesy of KHS GmbH.
Many older operator consoles (HMIs) have been discontinued by the manufacturers. As a result operators are anxious about the lack of available spare parts and the threat posed by security flaws in old systems. KHS solves this problem by offering HMI upgrades with increased customer benefits. The Dortmund systems supplier thus enables a long-term supply of spare parts and meets increased IT security requirements.
“We’re seeing a clear trend towards IT security in customer inquiries for HMI upgrades. Besides the availability of spare parts our customers also expect additional options which safeguard their lines and machines against the threat of malware,” says Matthias Jansen, head of the Technical Support Service Division. KHS offers suitable systems and solutions to meet these demands.
During an upgrade to the current 2.0 version of the KHS HMI, which includes a ReDiS1 remote maintenance option, the engineering company takes the customer’s individual initial situation into account so that he or she can also safely operate his or her plant machinery in the future.
Whitelisting for old and new HMI versions
In order to block any potential malware attacks, KHS has introduced a special whitelisting system for old and new versions of the HMI. For machines with a version 1.0 HMI KHS provides whitelisting as a way of safeguarding systems against threats by installing a software upgrade. KHS goes one step further with the hardware upgrade which includes a current operating system to improve performance. “One major benefit is that both whitelisting and the HMI hardware upgrade can be installed in just under two hours,” explains Jansen. Installation or replacement is thus possible during the course of regular maintenance. “With our systems and solutions we offer operators a high level of security and availability for their KHS lines and machines which have been running reliably for years,” Jansen concludes.
1KHS ReDiS stands for Remote Diagnostic Service, an extensive remote maintenance option.
Source: Company Press Release