We are pleased to announce the addition of the Safety Instrumented Systems Overview and Awareness to the Kenexis Online Training Center. This course provides an online self-paced overview and awareness level of SIS design that is appropriate for all personnel that interact with SIS in any way. The course includes informative examples that highlight [...]
Network appliances like firewalls and switches, have software (commonly referred to as firmware) on them that monitor and log security events. Unfortunately, the logs are rarely read by anyone. In fact, most people have never logged into their home router to look at the logs or change the administrator password. If the firmware was compromised, [...]
In todays oil and chemicals market, time and budgets are strained to remain operational with a slight profit. Many facilities are making difficult operational and turnaround decisions to survive while possibly putting their operation at risk at the same time. There might be a significant way to reduce time and cost during operations and [...]
Kenexis is pleased to announce that is has joined the Purdue Process Safety and Assurance Center. The Purdue Process Safety and Assurance Center is deep in research and education for fire and gas detector placement, and process safety. The Purdue Process Safety and Assurance Center and Kenexis share common goals in preventing unnecessary loss of [...]
New US CSB video summarizing the events that led to the FCC unit explosion. New Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JplAKJrgyew Reuters Article: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-refinery-blast-exxon-idUSKBN0LM1VR20150218
Today, we remember the 1947 Texas City industrial accident. The picture in our office, reminds us daily that Kenexis exist to prevent these. Learn more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_City_disaster
The team at Kenexis has further embraced distance learning and launched a dedicated portal for learning about functional safety and industrial control system cybersecurity. There are currently two courses available on the portal, with several more coming soon. Kenexis had been offering an online course directly on its website. The new architecture will give Kenexis [...]
Achilles JQS Registered Supplier Kenexis Consulting Corporation is pleased to announce that it is a registered, verified, and compliant supplier on Achilles Joint Qualification System (JQS) for the Oil and Gas Industry in Norway and Denmark. Achilles creates and manages a global network of collaborative industry communities, allowing trading partners to share high quality, structured, [...]
Recently, Jim Gilsinn presented at BSides DC 2016 about cybersecurity work on Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition). His presentation was titled: "What's the Big Deal with Assessing ICS/SCADA?" If you are considering a career in ICS Cybersecurity, this might persuade you to go back to law school. YouTube Link
We have been presenting and hosting classes in the Kenexis – Houston Training Center. Kenexis is finishing up the remodeling of their offices in Houston to improve the training center experience. Classes are scheduled for industrial automation, process and cyber security training courses. Our office in just south of I10 in the Energy Corridor just [...]
Kenexis is pleased to announce our newest business partner, Shevat Engineering and Training in Campinas, Brazil. Shevat partnership extends Kenexis services and engineering tools to the South American markets including Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. We are pleased to announce this relationship that signals the start of an exciting time for Kenexis in [...]
Where it Leaks, Accumulates, and Migrates The process industries are starting to adopt performance-based design techniques for fire & gas detection systems versus prescriptive models. This is increasingly important after recent fire & explosion events have caused major loss of life and asset damage. Meanwhile, some continue to use methods for layout of gas detection based [...]
I was reading an article on the wire this morning about a nuclear power plant in Germany potentially compromised by cybersecurity problems. In the article, it was revealed that the infected system or culprit, was an old HMI station for moving control rods that was last updated in 2008. While this might escape discovery in [...]
Make sure to check out the cover article in ISA’s InTech publication. In the article, Ed Marszal explains: “Even though cyber-threats are not adequately addressed with existing process hazard analysis (PHA) methods, there is no reason to abandon everything that we know about process risk assessment and start from scratch. Instead, industry is extending tried-and-true [...]
It is important to note the difference between ‘patching’ and ‘hardening.’ It is also important to note the importance both functions play in protecting your computer systems. Patching a computer system (whether it is a computer or an embedded controller like a PLC) takes care of critical vulnerabilities (holes where malware might be able to get [...]
You may not have noticed some of the changes to the Kenexis website. It is now converted to new web technologies making it much easier to use on your smart phone, tablet or computer. Another usability enhancement was the addition of translation services provided by Microsoft Bing. This enables you to read many of [...]
We have developed the Effigy (Fire & Gas Detector Mapping) and Vertigo (SIS Lifecycle Management) software tools in Kenexis Instrumented Safeguard Suite to support language switching through your browser. While we still have work to do to translate the help files, the application is already translated into Chinese and Portuguese. This is done through the [...]
It appears the US is going to blame Iran (ink to the New York Times article) for the cyber attack on the NY dam.
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA (03 March 2016) –The International Society of Automation (ISA) announced today that Kenexis, an independent engineering consulting firm providing technical safety and industrial cybersecurity services, is an ISA Promotional Partner. Through the partnership, Kenexis and ISA will work together to share Kenexis’ capabilities and technical knowledge with ISA members and customers. [...]
Attached is a presentation on how to analyze hazardous process situations for cybersecurity risks during a HAZOP or an interim review. We would be pleased to assist you in facilitating this type of review with a HAZOP expert and an Industrial Control System Cybersecurity expert. https://youtu.be/DcOAycWNgIE
This month, Kenexis met with various entities in China to discuss upcoming challenges in functional safety. This is an ongoing effort to work with the Chinese in their efforts to build safe work environments in the chemical and oil and gas industries. While there, Ed Marszal (president) presented at the China University of Petroleum as a guest [...]
Join Kenexis at the 2015 ISA Houston Section Expo & Chili Cook Off next month on Thursday November 12, 2015 form 5-9pm. Come by and visit us! RSVP
Please join us for the ISA Houston Section Monthly Meeting on Wednesday November 4, 2015 from 11am-1pm HESS Club 5430 Westheimer Rd. Houston, Texas 77056 Process Industry Accidents – Lessons Learned the Hard Way and How to Avoid Them Using a collection of videos, photographs and stories, this presentation will cover lessons learned from a [...]
Kenexis will be presenting several papers at this conference on process safety and industrial cyber security. Come meet us at our booth, or let me know ahead of time and we will setup an opportunity to talk. Seven ISA Divisions are Teaming up in November 2015 2015 Process Control and Safety Symposium-Sponsored by Process Measurement [...]
SPRING-BASED CYBERSECURITY for SCADA, PLC, and all other Industrial Control Systems in Process Plants & Manufacturing The Problem We have become very comfortable using advanced controller technology and in some cases, we are not thinking through the potential problems the technology might cause. Just this week, a news story [1] surfaced where white-hat hackers (good guys) were [...]
