CIP Security Specification Earns IEC Security Rating
The certification helps industrial equipment manufacturers align their EtherNet/IP products with EU security mandates.
Updated on Oct. 30, 2026 in Cybersecurity
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TÜV Rheinland has certified the CIP Security specification for meeting IEC 62443-4-2 standards at Security Level Capability 3. This certification establishes that the EtherNet/IP protocol meets specified cybersecurity benchmarks for industrial networks.
Why it matters
This certification provides manufacturers with a standardized path to meet secure-by-design requirements mandated by the European Union's Cyber Resilience Act. It helps industrial operators verify that their automation systems can defend against intentional attacks from motivated, skilled adversaries.
The certification confirms that the CIP Security specification reaches Security Level 3, a benchmark designed to protect against attackers with moderate resources and industrial control system skills. It achieves this protection through TLS and DTLS encryption for data integrity, authentication, and confidentiality.
The players
TÜV Rheinland
A global technical testing and certification body that evaluates industrial safety and security standards.
ODVA
A trade association that manages the EtherNet/IP communication protocol and its associated security specifications.
The details
CIP Security operates as an application-layer network extension for EtherNet/IP, the communication protocol used in industrial automation. By integrating Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS), the framework encrypts communication traffic to maintain secure data transfer. This technical architecture is designed to prevent unauthorized access while maintaining the high availability required for industrial control systems.
Timeline
October 30, 2026: ODVA announced the receipt of the security certification.
The Tech Race
This certification aligns EtherNet/IP security protocols with the strict compliance requirements of the European Union's Cyber Resilience Act. It marks a shift toward formal, third-party validation for industrial communication standards as regulators move to mandate secure-by-design principles.
Manufacturers can now integrate this certified specification into their EtherNet/IP hardware to simplify regulatory compliance. Industrial facilities will see improved security posture as these standardized components become available for deployment in new network architectures.
The takeaway
This certification standardizes the defensive capabilities of industrial networks against skilled attackers. Engineers and compliance officers should monitor whether specific hardware vendors move to update their product lines to reflect this IEC 62443-4-2 certification.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest industrial defense protocols in our Cybersecurity section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Sourcesecurity.
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