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EDWartens UK

Free course · Cybersecurity

OT and ICS Cybersecurity with ISA/IEC 62443

Free OT security course for automation and IT staff: Purdue zones, ISA/IEC 62443 security levels, risk assessment. The certificate is optional and paid.

See the modules

Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Level
Intermediate
Modules
16
Video
52 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Explain how ICS and OT differ from IT security, map a plant with the Purdue model into zones and conduits, apply ISA/IEC 62443 security levels and requirements, run a cyber risk assessment, build an asset register and vulnerability programme, plan incident detection and response, manage a security programme and prepare for ISA/IEC 62443 certification exams.

  • Explain OT versus IT security and the threat landscape
  • Map plants with the Purdue model into zones and conduits
  • Apply ISA/IEC 62443 parts, roles and security levels
  • Run risk assessments and build asset registers
  • Manage vulnerabilities, incidents and a security programme
  • Prepare for ISA/IEC 62443 certification exams

Software

None required. Free tools shown in the lessons are optional.

Hardware

None required.

Syllabus

16 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

  1. 1ICS/OT Fundamentals and the Threat Landscape4 lessons
  2. 2The OT Security Domain: People, Process and Technology1 lesson
  3. 3Control Systems and Industrial Protocols1 lesson
  4. 4The Purdue Model, Zones and Conduits3 lessonsLab
  5. 5Secure Network Architecture and Remote Access1 lessonLab
  6. 6The ISA/IEC 62443 Series4 lessons
  7. 7Security Levels and Foundational Requirements3 lessonsLab
  8. 8Risk Assessment and Threat Modelling4 lessonsLab
  9. 9Asset Registers and Inventory1 lesson
  10. 10Threat and Vulnerability Management and OSINT2 lessonsLab
  11. 11Incident Detection and Response1 lessonLab
  12. 12Standards, Governance and Programme Management6 lessons
  13. 13Implementing 62443 and Securing Wireless Networks4 lessons
  14. 14OT Security Assessment, Penetration Testing Basics and Course Review2 lessons
  15. 15ISA/IEC 62443 Certificates and Exam Preparation8 lessons
  16. 16Final Assessment1 lesson

How it works

How this course works

  1. Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
  2. Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
  3. Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
  4. Practise in the labOptionalTry a task from the module in the EDWartens Lab, in your browser.
  5. Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
  6. Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

EDWartens Lab

Practise this in the EDWartens Lab

Map a plant network, find the odd device and set deny-by-default firewall rules in the Lab's OT security simulator.

Works alongside OT and ICS Cybersecurity with ISA/IEC 62443. The Lab is ot security practice in your browser: no install, no hardware, free to use. Sign in as a learner and it opens with your account.

Open the free lab See the Lab
OT security: Defend a plant network.

Levels to try with this course

Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.

Why practise in a lab

Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.

  • Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
  • The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
  • Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

  • Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
  • A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
  • Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
  • Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Sample certificate for OT and ICS Cybersecurity with ISA/IEC 62443

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

Questions

About this course

What is IEC 62443?
ISA/IEC 62443 is a series of international standards for the cybersecurity of industrial automation and control systems, such as PLCs, SCADA and distributed control systems. ISA says the series was developed by its ISA99 committee, established in 2002, together with IEC Technical Committee 65 Working Group 10, and that it applies to asset owners, automation product suppliers, integrators and service suppliers. This course teaches the parts most engineers use day to day: zones and conduits, security levels, risk assessment and the security programme.
What ISA/IEC 62443 certifications are there?
ISA runs an ISA/IEC 62443 Cybersecurity Certificate Program with four certificates: Fundamentals Specialist, Risk Assessment Specialist, Design Specialist and Maintenance Specialist. ISA states that the ISA/IEC 62443 Cybersecurity Expert certificate is awarded automatically when all four are completed, and that the certificates do not need to be renewed. This free course includes mock tests to help you prepare, but its own certificate is an EDWartens certificate of completion, not an ISA certificate.
Is this a hacking course?
No. It is defensive: architecture, standards, risk, inventory, response and governance. The testing module covers how authorised assessments are scoped safely, not how to attack a plant.
Who is it for?
Automation engineers, IT staff moving into OT, and anyone preparing for ISA/IEC 62443 certificates.
How long is it?
Long: about forty hours of video, because Mike Holcomb's course alone is twenty. Take it a module a week.
Is the course really free?
Yes. Every module, practice task and assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved and the assessments can be marked. The certificate is the only paid item, and only if you want it.
What certificate do I get, and is it a vendor qualification?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a vendor credential and is never described as one.
Who made the video lessons?
The creators named in the Credits block at the foot of this page, on their own YouTube channels. EDWartens did not make the videos and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
Do I need any software or hardware?
No. Nothing needs to be installed and no hardware is needed; the free tools shown in some lessons are optional.

IIoT and OT security

Take it with

See the whole path

The Professional Module is five live days of Siemens PLC, HMI and SCADA with an instructor, then a resume session and a CPD certificate.

See the Professional Module