NewFree internships, no fees

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers: Hardening Siemens and Rockwell Controllers

Harden the Siemens and Rockwell PLCs you already program, using access levels, source protection and secure coding practices.

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 takes about 7.8 hours, with written notes, a practice task per module, a practical project and a final assessment of 15 questions (pass mark 60%). Learning costs nothing and needs only a free account. The optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code, is a one-off US$28.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.

  • Free
  • Intermediate
  • 7.8 hours
  • Self-paced
  • Certificate optional
  • Lab practice in your browser
See what you learn

No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$28.99, optional.

Who it is for
PLC programmers, automation engineers and OT maintenance staff
Jobs
Roles that use this skill: OT security analyst, security engineer, network engineer and compliance analyst. No course guarantees a job.
Tools
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.
Updated
Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers: Hardening Siemens and Rockwell Controllers course cover
Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers: Hardening Siemens and Rockwell Controllers course cover

After this course you can

By the end you will be able to:

  • Explain how controllers are attacked and which controls stop each step
  • Set Siemens access levels, know-how and copy protection
  • 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

Who it is for, and what you need first

Who it is for

PLC programmers, automation engineers and OT maintenance staff.

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.

What you need

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.. What to download, and how.

How this course works

  1. Watch the lessons

    Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.

  2. Read the notes

    Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.

  3. Practise in the 3D labOptional

    Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.

  4. Check yourself

    Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.

  5. Final assessment

    Pass the final once you have been through the modules.

  6. Certificate, if you want oneOptional

    Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.

What you learn

9 modules in order, at your own pace. 7.8 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.

  1. 1Why PLCs get attacked, with lab practice: 13m
  2. 2Secure coding and device integrity: the ideas38m
  3. 3Siemens: access protection and the security wizard23m
  4. 4Siemens: know-how, copy and project protection35m
  5. 5Users, certificates and the web server49m
  6. 6Rockwell: source protection, CIP Security, zones and conduits, with lab practice: 32m
  7. 7The Top 20 Secure PLC Coding Practices46m
  8. 8Using the controller's own features to detect trouble, with lab practice: 43m
Show the other 1 modules
  1. 9Final Assessment13m

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.

Show what to download (3 tools)

Required

  1. 01

    SIMATIC STEP 7 Professional and WinCC (TIA Portal) V21 Trial

    Siemens

    Free trial: 21 days
    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.

    Official download pagesupport.industry.siemens.com

    Alternatives

    • 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.
  2. 02

    S7-PLCSIM V21 (TIA Portal) Trial

    Siemens

    Free trial: 21 days
    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.

    Official download pagesupport.industry.siemens.com

Optional

Useful, not needed to finish the course.

  1. 03

    Studio 5000 Logix Designer

    Rockwell Automation

    Paid only
    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.

    Rockwell Automation product pagerockwellautomation.com

    Legitimate free routes

Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.

Practise in the 3D lab

Practise the network side of PLC security in the OT security lab: where each controller sits, which zones it belongs to, and how to keep and prove a known-good backup.

Find the strangerWatch

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

Course project, 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, and verify what you can in simulation.

This project at a glance
  1. 5documents in the pack
  2. 5steps to follow
  3. Laboptional: in the 3D lab
  4. 5things to hand in
  5. 10 hof work, at your pace
  • 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
  • Risk registerRisk register: packaging line 2 controllers

Do it in the lab: 5 steps.

The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.

After the course, your next step

Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.

Sample EDWartens Certificate of Completion for Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers: Hardening Siemens and Rockwell Controllers

Sample. The issued certificate carries your name, your final score, a certificate ID and a QR code that opens its verification page.

Optional

A certificate you can verify

Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$28.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.

Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.

Fibre optic cables plugged into a network patch panel.
Free · 4 weeks · free certificate

Cybersecurity (IT and OT)

Eight short weeks of security basics, networks, access control, a security operations centre, industrial (OT) security, IEC 62443 and incident response: notes, diagrams, a few videos and worked exercises. Finish weeks 1 to 4 and the final, then claim a free Internship Completion Certificate with your real dates and study hours, and a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.

See the internship

More free courses

Roles that use this skill

  • OT security analyst
  • Security engineer
  • Network engineer
  • Compliance analyst

These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.

Plain notes

  • Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
  • Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
  • No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
  • Lessons by: Mike Holcomb, ICS Village, (CS)²AI, AppSec Pacific Northwest, GRIMM Cyber, S4 Events, Siemens Knowledge Hub, Rockwell Automation, Hegamurl, Outlier Automation, EandM, PLC SCADA ENGINEER, Tim Wilborne. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.

Mike Holcomb · ICS Village · (CS)²AI · AppSec Pacific Northwest · GRIMM Cyber · S4 Events · Siemens Knowledge Hub · Rockwell Automation · Hegamurl · Outlier Automation · EandM · PLC SCADA ENGINEER · Tim Wilborne. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@edwartens.com.

Practise what you learn in the free 3D 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.

See the 3D lab
  • 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.

Why learn with EDWartens

What you get with this course, and what comes after it.

  • Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
  • Practice in a free 3D lab in your browser, with nothing to install.
  • Video lessons with written notes and a project.
  • An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
  • Free internships to keep practising afterwards.

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 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.

Do I have to use the lab?

No. The lab is optional practice. You can skip it whenever you like, and it never blocks your progress, the final assessment or your certificate.

Is the lab free?

Yes. Every lab level for this course opens in your browser, free, with nothing to install.

What topics does the Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers course cover, module by module?

The Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers course has 9 modules. It opens with "Why PLCs get attacked", goes through "Secure coding and device integrity: the ideas", "Siemens: know-how, copy and project protection", "Rockwell: source protection, CIP Security, zones and conduits" and "Using the controller's own features to detect trouble" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.

What can I do after the Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers course?

After the Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers course: 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. These are the practical outcomes the course is written around, and the final assessment of 15 questions checks them.

What software and hardware do I need for the Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers course, and does it cost anything?

For the Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers course, 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. The course itself is free.

Is the Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers course suitable for me, and what level is it?

Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers is rated intermediate. Intermediate. You should already program Siemens or Allen-Bradley PLCs. ICS Security Foundations is a useful companion if the security vocabulary is new. It is written for PLC programmers, automation engineers and OT maintenance staff, and takes about 7.8 hours at your own pace.

Which jobs use the skills from the Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers course?

Skills from the Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers course (for example: explain how controllers are attacked and which controls break each step) are used in roles such as OT security analyst, security engineer, network engineer and compliance analyst, and in OT security engineer work. The course gives you practical evidence of the skill; it does not promise a job, and employers decide on experience and interview.

Start free today

Cybersecurity for PLC Programmers: Hardening Siemens and Rockwell Controllers, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.