Cybersecurity 路 Free
Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers: Hardening Siemens and Rockwell Controllers
Harden the PLCs you already program: Siemens access levels, know-how, copy and project protection, secure communication and users, Rockwell source protection, CIP Security and zones, and the Top 20 Secure PLC Coding Practices, from the people who wrote them.
Inside the course
From the lessons
Why PLCs get attacked
Mike Holcomb
Secure coding and device integrity: the ideas
AppSec Pacific Northwest
Siemens: access protection and the security wizard
EandM
Siemens: know-how, copy and project protection
Siemens Knowledge Hub
Users, certificates and the web server
Outlier Automation
Rockwell: source protection, CIP Security, zones and conduits
Rockwell Automation
Lesson frames belong to the creators named in the Credits below and are shown from YouTube.
What you will learn
Explain how controllers are attacked and which controls break each step; set Siemens access levels, know-how, copy and project protection and the security wizard settings; configure secure communication, users and the web server; apply Rockwell source protection, CIP Security and zones; review PLC code against the Top 20 Secure PLC Coding Practices; and use the controller's own diagnostics to detect changes nobody planned.
- Explain how controllers are attacked and which controls break each step
- Set Siemens access levels and use the TIA Portal security wizard
- Apply know-how, write, copy and project protection
- Secure users, certificates, the web server and HMI logins
- Use Rockwell's key switch, source protection, CIP Security and zones
- Apply the Top 20 Secure PLC Coding Practices in your own code
- Detect unplanned changes from cycle time, memory, stops and uptime
- Write and verify a secure configuration baseline for a mixed Siemens and Rockwell line
For you
Taking Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers: Hardening Siemens and Rockwell Controllers from the United States
- Free in the United States, as everywhere, and self-paced: lessons, notes and the final assessment are open at any hour, so your time zone and shift pattern do not matter.
- The optional certificate for learners in the United States is a one-off US$28.99. What you get for it
- Plants across the Americas most often run Allen-Bradley, Siemens and Inductive Automation; each has its own free course to take next.
- See automation and engineering jobs in the United States, and what the industry looks like in Houston, Detroit and Chicago.
- EDWartens also has a regional site for the United States, for classroom training and local support: edwartens.com/us.
The course project 路 about 10 hours
Hardening the PLCs on a food packaging line: asset inventory, zones and conduits, secure configuration baseline and verification report
Harden the controllers on a mixed Siemens and Rockwell packaging line as the controls engineer responsible for them: build the asset inventory, draw the zones and conduits, write the secure configuration baseline for each controller type from the course's settings and the Top 20 practices, and verify it. The sample pack shows each document for a biscuit packaging line in Karaman, Turkey. Work in simulation; never test on a line you are not authorised to change.
Sample document pack, 4 documents, filled in for the scenario
- Asset inventoryAsset inventory: biscuit packaging line 2
- Zones & conduitsZones and conduits: packaging line 2
- ProcedureSecure configuration baseline: line 2 controllers
- Test reportHardening verification report: line 2 shutdown
Read inside the course and download as a workbook. The project is optional practice, marked when you submit it; the certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
Course content
9 modules 路 24 lessons 路 4h 51m
In order, at whatever pace suits you. Each module ends with a practice task that builds on the last.
- 01Why PLCs get attacked2 lessons13m
- 02Secure coding and device integrity: the ideas2 lessons38m
- 03Siemens: access protection and the security wizard3 lessons23m
- 04Siemens: know-how, copy and project protection4 lessons35m
- 05Users, certificates and the web server4 lessons49m
- 06Rockwell: source protection, CIP Security, zones and conduits6 lessons32m
- 07The Top 20 Secure PLC Coding Practices1 lesson46m
- 08Using the controller's own features to detect trouble1 lesson43m
Requirements
- Who it is for
- Intermediate. You should already program Siemens or Allen-Bradley PLCs. ICS Security Foundations is a useful companion if the security vocabulary is new.
- Software
- TIA Portal (trial) with PLCSIM, and Studio 5000 if you have access. Every exercise can be done with one vendor's software. What to download, and how
- Hardware
- None required. A spare S7-1200 or CompactLogix makes the hardening exercises more real.
Software you need
What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.
Every exercise can be done with one vendor's software. Studio 5000 is only for learners who already have access to it.
Required
- 01Free trial: 21 days
SIMATIC STEP 7 Professional and WinCC (TIA Portal) V21 Trial
Siemens
- Runs on
- Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise 64-bit (24H2), Windows 10 Enterprise 2021 LTSC, or Windows Server 2022/2025. Windows 11 Home is supported only for the Basic editions.
- Account
- A free Siemens account registered for Industry Online Support (SiePortal)
- Size
- about 8.1 GB for the main ISO, plus an optional 3.1 GB DVD 2 with hardware support packages
Siemens lets registered users download the V21 trial of STEP 7 (Basic and Professional), STEP 7 Safety and WinCC and test it for 21 days. The same package is used for the full product; after 21 days you need a purchased licence to keep working.
Steps
- 1.Open the Siemens trial page (entry 109989774) and sign in with your Siemens Industry Online Support account.
- 2.Download TIA_Portal_STEP7_Safety_WinCC_V21.iso (8.1 GB).
- 3.Download S7-PLCSIM_V21.iso (2.5 GB) from the same page: PLCSIM is a separate download.
- 4.Right-click each ISO, choose Mount, and run Start.exe as administrator. Install STEP 7 and WinCC first, then PLCSIM.
- 5.Follow the setup, accept the licence terms and restart the PC when asked.
- 6.Open TIA Portal V21 and create a new project to confirm it runs.
- Install from a local drive with plenty of free space; Siemens lists 20 GB free as the minimum and the ISOs alone are over 10 GB.
- You only need DVD 2 if you want extra hardware support packages.
- If you cannot install locally, Siemens also offers a 21-day TIA Portal Cloud trial in the browser (one-hour sessions, not in every country).
Official download pagesupport.industry.siemens.comAlternatives
- TIA Portal Cloud trial: 21 days free in a cloud virtual machine, no install. Sessions are limited to one hour and it is not available in every country.
- 02Free trial: 21 days
S7-PLCSIM V21 (TIA Portal) Trial
Siemens
- Runs on
- Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise 64-bit (24H2), Windows 10 Enterprise 2021 LTSC, or Windows Server 2022/2025. Windows 11 Home is supported only for the Basic editions.
- Account
- A free Siemens account registered for Industry Online Support (SiePortal)
- Size
- about 2.5 GB (ISO)
S7-PLCSIM V21 is offered as a 21-day trial on the same Siemens page as the STEP 7 and WinCC V21 trial. It needs STEP 7 V21 installed on the same PC.
Steps
- 1.Open the Siemens STEP 7 and WinCC V21 trial page (entry 109989774) and sign in.
- 2.Install STEP 7 V21 from the main TIA Portal ISO first.
- 3.Download S7-PLCSIM_V21.iso (2.5 GB) from the section Download S7-PLCSIM Standard V21.
- 4.Mount the ISO, run Start.exe as administrator and follow the setup.
- 5.In TIA Portal, select your CPU and click Start simulation to open PLCSIM.
- Siemens notes that the PLCSIM Standard V21 installation also includes S7-PLCSIM Advanced V8.0.
Official download pagesupport.industry.siemens.com
Optional
Useful, not needed to finish the course.
- 03Paid only
Studio 5000 Logix Designer
Rockwell Automation
- Runs on
- Windows (check the Studio 5000 entry on the Product Compatibility and Download Center for exact versions)
- Account
- A Rockwell Automation account plus a purchased licence (serial number or subscription)
Rockwell sells Studio 5000 Logix Designer as a perpetual licence or a paid subscription. Rockwell's product page offers no public free trial or free edition.
Steps
- 1.If your employer or college has a Studio 5000 licence, ask for access and the serial number.
- 2.Sign in to the Rockwell Product Compatibility and Download Center and search for Studio 5000 Logix Designer.
- 3.Download the version that matches your controller firmware.
- 4.Install it as administrator and activate the licence with FactoryTalk Activation Manager.
- 5.If you have no licence, use one of the free Rockwell tools listed below instead.
- Match the Logix Designer major version to the controller firmware you will use.
Rockwell Automation product pagerockwellautomation.comLegitimate free routes
- Connected Components Workbench Standard Edition: Free. Programs Micro800 controllers and includes a demo Micro800 Simulator.
- FactoryTalk Design Workbench: Free Rockwell tool for Micro800 controllers, listed with the free downloads on PCDC.
- RSLogix Micro Starter Lite: Free edition for MicroLogix 1000 and 1100.
- FactoryTalk Design Studio free trial: Rockwell's cloud-based Logix design software with a free 90-day trial in the browser.
- Rockwell Automation training: Instructor-led Studio 5000 courses; an employer licence is the other legitimate route.
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers: Hardening Siemens and Rockwell Controllers at a glance
Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers: Hardening Siemens and Rockwell Controllers is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for PLC programmers, automation engineers and OT maintenance staff. It has 9 modules and 4h 51m of video lessons by Mike Holcomb, ICS Village, S4 Events and others, with written notes and worked problems, a practical project with a document pack and a 15-question final assessment (pass mark 60%). Learning is free with an account; an optional certificate with a public verification code is issued when you pass. Last updated 27 September 2026.
All course factsHide course facts
- Price
- Free, for good. No trial, no card. The only paid item is the optional certificate, a small one-off fee.
- Who it is for
- PLC programmers, automation engineers and OT maintenance staff
- Format
- 9 self-paced modules, 4h 51m of video, written notes, a practice task per module and one final assessment.
- Level
- Intermediate. Intermediate. You should already program Siemens or Allen-Bradley PLCs. ICS Security Foundations is a useful companion if the security vocabulary is new.
- Brand
- Vendor-neutral
- Software
- TIA Portal (trial) with PLCSIM, and Studio 5000 if you have access. Every exercise can be done with one vendor's software.
- Hardware
- None required. A spare S7-1200 or CompactLogix makes the hardening exercises more real.
- Certificate
- Optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code. Not a vendor credential.
- Video lessons by
- Mike Holcomb, ICS Village, S4 Events, Siemens Knowledge Hub, Rockwell Automation, Hegamurl, Outlier Automation, EandM, PLC SCADA ENGINEER, Tim Wilborne (independent creators, credited below)
- Language
- English
- Last updated
- 27 September 2026
A shareable EDWartens certificate
Finish every module and pass the final assessment, and the optional EDWartens certificate is yours. It carries a unique verification code on a public page anyone can check, so it stands up when a recruiter looks it up. See it below.
The course itself stays free whether or not you ever buy one.
Stuck? Ask a practising engineer
A free course usually means a comment section and hope. This one does not. Every module has an Ask-your-trainer panel that reaches the same engineers who teach our paid programme: people who commission panels for a living, not moderators.
Pairs well with
Cybersecurity 路 FreeCompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Exam PrepPrepare for CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 with Professor Messer's complete free video course: every exam objective across the five domains, with EDWartens notes, worked calculations, practice questions and an optional security project. Exam preparation only: the EDWartens certificate is not the CompTIA Security+ certification, which is earned only by passing CompTIA's exam.
PLC programming 路 FreeSiemens TIA PortalFrom zero electrical knowledge to a working, simulated S7-1200 program, for nothing.
PLC programming 路 FreeSiemens TIA Portal in Three HoursThe first three hours of the Siemens TIA Portal course, cut to end on a win: what a PLC is, how it is wired, a project configured in TIA Portal, and your first ladder program running in simulation. Finish it in an evening or two, earn a certificate, and carry straight on into the full course.
PLC programming 路 FreeTIA Portal: Build a MachineOne machine, start to finish. Take a bottle filling line from a written specification and an I/O list to a structured S7-1200 program with a fill station, a capper, a reject sorter and an operator screen with alarms, then test it against a written record and archive it for hand-over. The lessons are the reference; the machine is yours, and it is what you submit.More free courses: Free cyber security courses 路 Free OT and ICS security courses
Learner reviews
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Reviews here are written only by learners who have finished every module of Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers: Hardening Siemens and Rockwell Controllers, and they are published exactly as written. Finish the course and yours will be the first.
Common questions
Is this a hacking course?
No. It teaches PLC programmers to protect the controllers they are responsible for. There are no techniques for breaking into equipment, and the course deliberately leaves out password-unlocking tools.
How is it different from OT and ICS Cybersecurity with IEC 62443?
That course covers the standard and the security programme. This one is hands-on for PLC programmers: the protection settings in TIA Portal and Studio 5000, and secure coding in the logic itself. They complement each other.
Do I need both Siemens and Rockwell software?
No. Most exercises use TIA Portal with PLCSIM; the Rockwell module can be followed from its lessons and documentation if you do not have Studio 5000.
Where do the Top 20 Secure PLC Coding Practices come from?
A community project led by Sarah Fluchs and Vivek Ponnada, published in 2021 and freely available. The course uses their own talks, credited on the module, and none of the authors is affiliated with EDWartens.
Is the Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers course really free?
Yes. Every module, the notes, the project and the final assessment. The only paid item is the certificate, if you want it.
What certificate does the Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers course give?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a number anyone can verify on our site. It is not a vendor or ISA/GIAC certification.
How long does the Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers course take?
About 8 hours of lessons and reading, plus about 10 hours for the project. At a few hours a week alongside work, that is two to three weeks.
Does it prepare me for CompTIA SecOT+ or GICSP?
Not directly. Those exams cover OT security broadly; this course goes deep on one part of it, the controller and its code. It is a useful practical companion, and EDWartens is not affiliated with CompTIA or GIAC.
What you walk away with
Your certificate for Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers: Hardening Siemens and Rockwell Controllers
Finish the course, pass the final, and this is the document with your name on it.
Verifiable by anyone
Adds to LinkedIn in one click
QR code on the certificate
Names what you can do
A permanent link
Earned, not attended
Learning is free. The certificate is optional.
Add it now and pay only when you have finished the course, or come back for it later. One-off, US$28.99, with a receipt.
Issued by EDWartens, the training division of Wartens, as a Certificate of Completion for this self-paced course. Sold by Wartens Ltd (England and Wales). It is not a vendor certification, a university award or a CPD-accredited activity, and it does not certify competence on live equipment. Delivered electronically; see the refund policy.
Credits
Who made the video lessons
The video lessons in this course were created by the people below, not by EDWartens. Every lesson streams from its creator's own YouTube channel; EDWartens neither hosts nor sells that footage, and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens and do not endorse this course. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
- Mike Holcomblessons on what OT is and the OT security career path
- ICS Villagethe Top 20 Secure PLC Coding Practices talk by Sarah Fluchs and Vivek Ponnada
- (CS)虏AIVivek Ponnada's introduction to the Top 20 Secure PLC Coding Practices
- AppSec Pacific NorthwestVivek Ponnada on secure coding of industrial control systems
- GRIMM CyberVivek Ponnada on using native ICS functionality to improve security
- S4 Eventsthe talk on PLC and Level 1 device integrity
- Siemens Knowledge HubS7-1500 intellectual property protection
- Rockwell AutomationFactoryTalk Security, source protection, CIP Security and FactoryTalk Policy Manager zones and conduits
- HegamurlTIA Portal password, block, copy, project and web server protection
- Outlier Automationuser management with UMC and TLS certificates in TIA Portal
- EandMa lesson in "Siemens: access protection and the security wizard"
- PLC SCADA ENGINEERa lesson in "Siemens: access protection and the security wizard"
- Tim Wilbornea lesson in "Rockwell: source protection, CIP Security, zones and conduits"
If you are one of these creators and would like a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.