Cybersecurity 路 Free
ICS Security Foundations: Control Systems, Defence in Depth and the 62443 Requirements
The ground floor of industrial cyber security, taught through the systems themselves: what a DCS, PLC, SCADA, BACS and safety system actually do, the Purdue model, why OT is not IT, how industrial attacks unfold, defence in depth and a layered architecture, then the seven ISA/IEC 62443 foundational requirements one at a time, asset registers, segmentation, discovery, IDS and IPS, secure remote access, SIEM and endpoint protection.
Inside the course
From the lessons
The Systems You Are Protecting: DCS, PLC and SCADA
Instrumentation Tools
Building Automation, Safety Systems and the IIoT
Instrumentation Tools
The Purdue Model and Why OT Is Not IT
Instrumentation Tools
What Goes Wrong: Attacks, Consequences and What to Secure
Instrumentation Tools
Defence in Depth and a Layered Architecture
Instrumentation Tools
Foundational Requirements 1 and 2: Who You Are and What You May Do
Instrumentation Tools
Lesson frames belong to the creators named in the Credits below and are shown from YouTube.
What you will learn
Name the control systems in a plant and say what each one runs, place any device on a Purdue level, explain why an IT security policy cannot be applied unchanged to OT, describe how an industrial attack unfolds and what it costs, build a layered defence, apply each of the seven ISA/IEC 62443 foundational requirements to a real asset, keep an asset register, segment a network, discover devices safely, and choose between IDS, IPS, secure remote access, SIEM and endpoint controls.
- Tell a DCS, PLC, SCADA, BACS and safety system apart
- Place any device on a Purdue level and defend the choice
- Explain why an IT security policy cannot be applied to a plant
- Build a layered defence and pick compensating controls
- Apply the seven ISA/IEC 62443 foundational requirements
- Keep an asset register, segment a network and discover devices safely
For you
Taking ICS Security Foundations: Control Systems, Defence in Depth and the 62443 Requirements 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$23.99. 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 16 hours
Baseline security review of a 30 MLD water-treatment plant against the IEC 62443 foundational requirements
Carry out and document a baseline security review of a municipal water-treatment plant that has never had one: build the asset inventory from the as-found data and a passive capture, draw the flat network as it is, partition it into zones and conduits with a target security level for each, write the risk register, assess the plant against the seven foundational requirements of IEC 62443-3-3, and hand over a prioritised remediation plan with the backup and remote-access procedures that close the worst gaps first. You deliver your own inventory, zone model, risk register, findings report and plan. The sample pack shows what an OT security engineer hands to a plant that has never seen one.
Sample document pack, 7 documents, filled in for the scenario
- Asset inventoryOT Asset Inventory: Thornvale 30 MLD Water-Treatment Plant (as found)
- Network architectureNetwork Architecture, Current State: One Flat Network
- Zones & conduitsZone and Conduit Register, Proposed: Thornvale WTP
- Risk registerCyber Risk Register: Thornvale WTP Baseline Review
- ReportBaseline Security Review Report: Findings against IEC 62443-3-3 FR1 to FR7
- PlanPrioritised Remediation Plan: 30, 90 and 365 Days
- ProcedureProcedure: Control System Backup and Restore, and Remote Access
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
11 modules 路 31 lessons 路 4h 46m
In order, at whatever pace suits you. Each module ends with a practice task that builds on the last.
- 01The Systems You Are Protecting: DCS, PLC and SCADA3 lessons25m
- 02Building Automation, Safety Systems and the IIoT3 lessons18m
- 03The Purdue Model and Why OT Is Not IT4 lessons28m
- 04What Goes Wrong: Attacks, Consequences and What to Secure3 lessons29m
- 05Defence in Depth and a Layered Architecture2 lessons29m
- 06Foundational Requirements 1 and 2: Who You Are and What You May Do2 lessons24m
- 07Foundational Requirements 3, 4 and 5: Integrity, Confidentiality and Data Flow3 lessons33m
- 08Foundational Requirements 6 and 7: Responding and Staying Up2 lessons22m
Requirements
- Who it is for
- Beginner. No security background needed; any plant or PLC exposure helps.
- Software
- None required. Everything is taught with diagrams and worked examples.
- Hardware
- None required.
Software you need
Nothing to install
Everything is taught with diagrams and worked examples.
ICS Security Foundations: Control Systems, Defence in Depth and the 62443 Requirements at a glance
ICS Security Foundations: Control Systems, Defence in Depth and the 62443 Requirements is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for automation, OT and IT engineers responsible for security. It has 11 modules and 4h 46m of video lessons by Instrumentation Tools, 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
- Automation, OT and IT engineers responsible for security
- Format
- 11 self-paced modules, 4h 46m of video, written notes, a practice task per module and one final assessment.
- Level
- Beginner. Beginner. No security background needed; any plant or PLC exposure helps.
- Brand
- Vendor-neutral
- Software
- None required. Everything is taught with diagrams and worked examples.
- Hardware
- None required.
- Certificate
- Optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code. Not a vendor credential.
- Video lessons by
- Instrumentation Tools (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 ICS Security Foundations: Control Systems, Defence in Depth and the 62443 Requirements, and they are published exactly as written. Finish the course and yours will be the first.
Common questions
Is this the same as the ISA/IEC 62443 course?
No, and it is the one to take first. This course teaches the systems and the seven foundational requirements from the ground up. The 62443 course goes on to security levels, risk assessment, governance and certification preparation.
Do I need a security background?
None. It starts from what a PLC is.
Do I need any software or hardware?
Neither. Every module is diagrams and worked examples you can follow on paper.
Does it prepare me for a certification?
It is the groundwork rather than exam preparation. Take the ISA/IEC 62443 course after this one for the certification material.
How long does the ICS Security Foundations course take?
Plan on about 9 hours in all, including the video lessons, notes and practice tasks. It is self-paced, so you work through the eleven modules at your own speed.
Is the ICS Security Foundations course really free?
Yes. Every module, practice task and assessment is free. You create an account so your progress is saved and the assessments can be marked; the certificate is optional.
What certificate does the ICS Security Foundations course give?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not an ISA, IEC or vendor credential, and EDWartens is not affiliated with those bodies.
Who made the video lessons in the ICS Security Foundations course?
Instrumentation Tools, on its own YouTube channel, as credited at the foot of this page. EDWartens did not make the videos and the creator is not affiliated with EDWartens; what EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
What you walk away with
Your certificate for ICS Security Foundations: Control Systems, Defence in Depth and the 62443 Requirements
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$23.99, 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.
- Instrumentation Toolsthe Industrial Control System cyber security training course
If you are one of these creators and would like a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.