IEC 62443
The seven Foundational Requirements
Foundational Requirements (FRs) form the basis of IEC 62443 and are translated into concrete requirements in parts such as -3-3 and -4-2. Click an FR for a plain-language explanation, practical examples and common mistakes.
FR1 · Identification and Authentication Control
Identification and authentication control
Every user, device and software component that wants access to a system must first be reliably identified and verified before access is granted.
OT example
An engineer logging in remotely to an engineering workstation must authenticate with a unique, personal account instead of using a shared operator account.
Example from a substation
The management interface of a station controller only accepts connections after multi-factor authentication, instead of a single static password shared by several maintenance crews.
Common mistake
A single shared admin account for all maintenance technicians, so that actions cannot afterwards be traced to an individual user.
Implementation tip
Introduce personal accounts with role-based permissions and document which exceptions apply to devices that do not support individual authentication (compensation through network segmentation).