The Rise of CPS in Modern Manufacturing

Smart factories are increasingly powered by cyber-physical systems (CPS)—connected robots, industrial sensors, autonomous vehicles, and AI-enabled control software. These technologies combine computing, analytics, and real-world physical actions to create fast, efficient, and adaptable production environments. As this connectivity expands, so does the potential impact of a cybersecurity event. A compromised device is no longer just an IT issue; it can stop production, alter physical processes, or create safety concerns. This escalating risk is driving manufacturers to adopt formal security certifications as a way to guarantee resilience and trust in their CPS ecosystems.

What Makes CPS Harder to Secure

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) operate very differently from traditional IT environments, which makes securing them a unique and challenging task. Unlike standard IT systems that primarily process data, CPS directly control and interact with physical machinery and industrial processes. This introduces several security complexities:

1. Direct Interaction with Physical Equipment
   CPS, such as robotic assembly lines or industrial control systems (ICS), directly manipulate machinery. A cyberattack or system misconfiguration can cause physical damage or safety hazards. For example, in 2010, the Stuxnet worm targeted Iranian centrifuges, causing them to spin out of control and physically destroy equipment—all while appearing normal to operators. This illustrates how tightly integrated cyber and physical components increase the stakes of security breaches.

2. Real-Time Operational Requirements
   CPS often require precise, real-time responses. Even a fraction-of-a-second delay can disrupt operations or reduce product quality. In automotive manufacturing, for instance, robotic arms on an assembly line must synchronize perfectly. If a security patch or intrusion detection system introduces latency, production may stall or components may be improperly assembled.

3. Downtime Risks and Continuous Availability
   Many CPS environments cannot tolerate interruptions. In power plants, oil refineries, or water treatment facilities, shutting down systems for maintenance or security updates can be costly or dangerous. The 2021 Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack in the U.S. forced a shutdown of critical fuel pipelines, causing widespread fuel shortages. This highlights how CPS downtime is not just inconvenient—it has real-world economic and safety impacts.

4. Legacy and Modern Technology Integration
   CPS environments often combine decades-old industrial controllers with modern, cloud-connected software, IoT sensors, and AI tools. This mix of legacy and cutting-edge systems creates a complex network with inconsistent security standards. For example, a manufacturing facility may have older programmable logic controllers (PLCs) that lack encryption or modern authentication, yet these devices are now networked with cloud-based analytics platforms. Protecting such hybrid systems requires solutions that can bridge old and new technologies without disrupting operations.

5. Operational Complexity and Multi-Layered Risks
   CPS security spans digital, physical, and operational dimensions simultaneously. A breach could not only compromise data but also cause safety incidents, environmental hazards, or regulatory non-compliance. For instance, in a chemical plant, a malicious actor could manipulate temperature or pressure controls, causing explosions or toxic leaks. This multi-dimensional risk profile makes a structured, comprehensive certification approach essential.

Because CPS integrate physical machinery, require uninterrupted real-time performance, and often involve hybrid legacy-modern networks, securing them goes far beyond standard IT cybersecurity. Manufacturers need structured frameworks and certifications that account for digital safeguards, operational continuity, and physical safety to ensure resilient and secure CPS deployment.

Key Certifications for CPS Security

Several certification frameworks play a critical role in helping manufacturers build secure and reliable CPS. FIPS 140-3 establishes that cryptographic functions—including encryption, key management, and tamper protection—operate correctly and securely across devices. Common Criteria provides assurance that essential security functions such as system integrity, secure boot, and access control are properly implemented and resistant to attack. As manufacturers increasingly adopt AI-driven tools for inspection, optimization, and predictive maintenance, emerging standards for AI assurance are also becoming important—they help ensure that machine-learning models remain reliable, tamper-resistant, and securely updated over time.

The growing reliance on CPS has significantly expanded the manufacturing attack surface. If an attacker manipulates operational data, disrupts a digital twin, or interferes with autonomous equipment, the resulting impact can spread quickly across an entire production line. Certification helps reduce these risks by requiring thorough, independent evaluations of security controls. Certified systems must meet strict industry standards, demonstrate consistent behavior under stress, and provide evidence that both digital integrity and physical safety have been considered. This creates a higher level of trust for customers, suppliers, and internal stakeholders.

How a Certification Partner Helps

Achieving certification for CPS can be challenging because of the number of interconnected components involved. A specialized certification partner helps manufacturers navigate this complexity by identifying which certifications apply to specific systems, uncovering architectural gaps early in the process, and guiding teams through secure development and documentation requirements. Partners also assist with preparing evidence packages, coordinating with testing labs, and managing the full certification lifecycle. This support reduces delays, improves compliance readiness, and helps ensure that CPS deployments meet rigorous security expectations.

A New Era of Financial Security

The financial industry is the backbone of the global economy, processing trillions of dollars in transactions every day. Banks, payment processors, fintech platforms, and trading systems are all increasingly digital, connected, and reliant on technology. While this connectivity enables speed and innovation, it also creates a wider attack surface for cybercriminals. Vulnerabilities across financial applications or hardware devices can ripple far beyond a single institution—exposing vast amounts of sensitive account data, disrupting critical services across interconnected systems, and eroding confidence not just in one product or provider, but in the stability and security of entire financial markets.

For financial institutions, protecting customer information is not just about maintaining brand reputation—it is a regulatory requirement. The industry is subject to some of the most stringent security and compliance expectations in the world. Certification plays a critical role in demonstrating that financial technologies meet these standards, ensuring to both regulators and customers that products are resilient against evolving threats.

Resilience in the Face of Change

Financial technology companies face unique and often unforgiving obstacles when bringing products to market. It is not enough to focus solely on performance, user experience, or speed of innovation. Every new solution must also navigate a patchwork of global, federal, and industry-specific mandates that evolve as quickly as the threat landscape itself. Regulators and customers alike demand proof that sensitive financial data will remain secure under real-world attack conditions. Certifications such as FIPS 140-3 and Common Criteria serve as industry-recognized benchmarks: FIPS 140-3 verifies that the cryptographic modules protecting payment systems meet rigorous encryption and key management standards, while Common Criteria certification demonstrates that a product has undergone independent and comprehensive testing to validate its security functions and reliability in practice. Together, they help establish a baseline of trust in an ecosystem where failure can have systemic consequences.

But these certifications represent far more than technical checkboxes—they are significant barriers to entry that can determine who gets to participate in the financial marketplace. Without them, innovative products risk being excluded from high-value opportunities, from government contracts and defense-related financial systems to international payment networks that mandate strict compliance. The certification journey itself is resource-intensive, requiring extensive documentation, repeatable testing, and coordination with accredited laboratories. Yet for fintech firms, this process is not optional. It is a prerequisite for market credibility, regulatory acceptance, and customer trust, turning certification into both a cost of doing business and a competitive differentiator.

Supporting Industry Requirements Through Validation

Certified products send a clear message to regulators, partners, and customers alike: security is not an afterthought, but a core principle embedded into the foundation of the technology. This assurance carries particular weight in the financial sector, where even a single breach can trigger cascading consequences—ranging from costly regulatory fines and class-action lawsuits to reputational damage that can permanently erode customer confidence. In an environment where trust is currency, certification provides tangible evidence that an organization has invested the time and resources to safeguard critical financial operations.

From securing ATMs and protecting point-of-sale terminals to validating fintech platforms and ensuring the resilience of high-speed trading systems, certifications serve as industry-recognized proof that financial technologies can withstand scrutiny and adversarial pressure. They are not simply stamps of approval, but signals of reliability in markets that depend on uninterrupted service and uncompromised data integrity. By aligning innovation with certified security practices, financial organizations can do more than meet compliance requirements—they can elevate their competitive standing, open doors to new market opportunities, and reassure stakeholders that their solutions are designed to be both secure today and adaptable to tomorrow’s evolving threats.

Ready to Get Started?

Let Corsec help you certify your financial technology and enter new markets with confidence. Learn more about our certification services → https://www.corsec.com/

The Basics

FirstNet was initiated to develop America’s first high-speed nationwide wireless public safety broadband network dedicated specifically to first responders (fire, law enforcement, emergency medical services, and emergency managers). This investment in communications infrastructure is an effort to support public safety across the country; equipping personnel that often lack advanced communication and collaborative technologies needed to coordinate across agencies and jurisdictions during times of crisis. FirstNet’s goal is to create one interoperable and modernized band for public safety; providing unified coverage at the national, state, local, and tribal level.

The First Responder Network Authority is an independent authority within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), its role is to deploy, operate, maintain, and improve the Public Safety network. In early 2018, every U.S. governor was presented with and accepted a customized communication plan by FirstNet; signifying the first step towards a nationwide First Responder Network.

FirstNet not only serves as the voice of public safety as an advocate for every aspect of the network’s deployment and development, but also oversees the contract with AT&T as its private sector partner to build and deploy FirstNet to meet public safety’s needs and goals:

• Improve Communication & Interoperability – Nationwide between disciplines and jurisdictions
• Maintain Reliability and Connectivity – Guaranteed priority to send/receive: data, voice, video, images, & texts
• Consolidate and Streamline Interoperability – “First responders across the country currently rely on more than 10,000 separate radio networks which often times do not interoperate with one another.”
• Drive Innovation – FirstNet App Developer Program & App Catalog provide innovative technologies
• Improve Public Safety – Save Lives

AT&T is responsible for connecting public safety subscribers to FirstNet; building and developing the service; and responding to customer needs, questions, and issues. To accomplish this goal, AT&T has built a team of service and solution providers to augment their capabilities:

• Sapient Consulting will deliver an innovative application ecosystem on the public safety community and an advanced FirstNet web portal for states
• Motorola Solutions will deliver purpose-built public safety mobile applications, software and services that bride communications between land mobile radio and LTE to enable public safety agencies to take full advantage of the networks data capabilities.
• General Dynamics provides system integration and program management
• Inmarsat Government brings satellite communication solutions

AT&T has already begun to deploy FirstNet’s public safety radio spectrum (Band 14), which can only be accessed via FirstNet/AT&T. AT&T has stated that “EMS users won’t have to take any action to enable these public safety features. This means that even services which require high speeds and greater bandwidth, like video streaming, will be available to paramedics and EMTs when the general public nearby is unable to access the Internet via a mobile device due to heavy use and congestion on commercial networks”.

In the meantime, AT&T is providing access to its existing LTE network for public safety, with priority and the ability to preempt all other network traffic. Additionally, AT&T also launched the FirstNet core, which serves as the “brains” and “nervous system” of the FirstNet network. The dedicated FirstNet core is built on physically separate hardware for a highly secure network and essentially separates public safety traffic from commercial traffic.

The FirstNet core includes a nationwide LTE core infrastructure built specifically for our nation’s first responder community, it enables end-to-end encryption of public safety’s data and voice transmissions. The security of the core will also be monitored around the clock by a dedicated security team. End-to-end encryption allows public safety users to transmit encrypted data securely across LTE enabled devices. The FirstNet core comes with FIPS 140-2 compliant VPN solutions, radio, transport and network core encryption, and advanced physical and logical security protocols to keep all traffic on the network protected. It also enables priority and preemption and introduces a local control framework that unlocks different levels of priority.

Doing Business with FirstNet

In the upcoming years, more resources will be allocated to improve and expand FirstNet deployment and adoption. As this occurs, the program will require new and innovative technology, from network systems to radios, the equipment and software used to deliver mission critical services to First Responders will need to be enhanced.

To fulfill these needs, the FirstNet Office of the Chief Procurement Officer (OCPO) has been established to manage all acquisitions and procurements for FirstNet business units. The office follows proper acquisition policies and procedures, ensuring all contractual commitments for equipment, supplies, and services are made within the framework of federal acquisition statutes, Executive Orders, Office of Management and Budget requirements, other applicable Code of Federal Regulations, internal acquisition policies, and sound business judgment. This would include the Presidential Executive Order on Security and the Nation’s Infrastructure and all Federal Requirements for protecting sensitive but unclassified information, i.e. FIPS 140-2 and Common Criteria.

The following two categories represent solutions the Office has and is currently evaluating: 1.) Devices, and 2.) Applications

1.) Devices

Devices have been separated into four subsections. These specific products are compatible with the FirstNet Evolved Packet Core:

Phones:

• Samsung Galaxy Note, Note9, A6, S9, S9 Plus, J3, J7, S8, S8 Plus, S8 Active, Note 8, S7, S7 Edge, S7 active,
• iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s,6s Plus, SE, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus, X, Xs Max, XS, and XR
• LG K20, V35 ThinQ, Stylo 4+, V40 ThinQ, G5, G6, V20
• Sonim XP8 and SP5S
• Nighthawk LTE Mobile Hotspot Router
• Moto g6 play
• Motorola Solutions LEX L11
• Blackberry KEYone

Tablets & Laptops:

• Dell Latitude 7424 Rugged Extreme, 5424 Rugged, and 5420 Rugged
• Samsung Galaxy Tab A, and Tab S4
• iPad Pro 12.9inch (1^st 2^nd, 3^rd & 5^th Edition), Pro 11inch, Pro 9.7inch, Pro 10.5inch, iPad Air 2, and iPad mini 4

In Vehicle:

• Cradlepoint MC400 Modular Modem
• Sierra Wireless AirLink MP70 Vehicle Router and MG90 Vehicle Router
• Geotab
• AT&T Unite Express 2 Mobile Hotspot

Accessories:

• GPS Lockbox XP5s and XP8 Mobile Mounting with Push to Talk Speaker System Kit
• GPS Lockbox Charging Cradle and Mount for XP5s and XP8
• Sonim Holster with Swivel Clip for XP5s and XP8
• Sonim Leather Fitted Case with Metal Clip for XP5s
• Sonim 3180mAh Li-Ion Battery for XP5 and XP5s
• AdvanceTec Desktop Charger for XP5s
• AdvanceTec XP5s and XP8 Single and Six Bay Drop-In Charger
• AdvanceTec 64 Bay Standalone Charging Tower
• AdvanceProComm for the XP5s and XP8
• AdvanceCommunicator for the XP5S
• Klein 6-unit Bay for XP5s, XP8,
• Klein PATRIOT PRO Wired PPT Headset for XP5s and XP8
• Klein COMFIT Wired PTT Headset for XP5s and XP8
• Klein CURL Wired PPT earloop for XP5s and XP8
• Klein VALOR Remote Speaker Microphone for XP5s and XP8

2.) Applications

The FirstNet Application Catalog includes all applications for development, submission, and distribution on the FirstNet network. When submitting an application for approval to the distrusted applications list, you must complete and adhere to specific requirements, found here.

Within this process, applications must pass FirstNet Certification and Review, including these requirements:

• Developers are required to provide an attestation that an application is capable of delivering 99.99% Service Level Availability
• Developers must provide a valid source code scan as performed by a reputable firm such as Checkmarx Cx Suite^TMor Fortify Static Code Analyzer^TM
• Binary scans and additional vulnerability testing are performed by the security assessment team.
• Application access permissions and data handling as well as privacy disclosures are reviewed
• Developers are required to submit documentation and performance tests to ascertain the applications scalability, resiliency and resource usage
• Evaluations are completed within 6-7 weeks provided all required documents are submitted on time

As part of this process, developers must account for Data Privacy protection. Applications that store and use data either provided by end users or systematically gathered must keep data secure and private. Developers should include policies that comply with applicable privacy regulations around data collection and distribution – including minimizing data collection and distribution.

What’s Next?

There are still a number of questions that need to be answered, and even more, the program is adapting every day. Early adopters have been making suggestions and promoting growth with the program, but full deployment will take time, possibly years.

As more localities join, there are steps solution providers can take to help ensure inclusion:

• Develop innovative and leading edge solutions that answer the core goals of the program listed above
• Secure your solutions to ensure they meet the high standards of the program (Certifications, Encryption, Privacy Rights, etc.)
• Obtain a DUNS number and Register your company on SAM
• Discuss your solution with FirstNet ahead of time
• Watch FAAPS for upcoming contracts
• Monitor FedBizOps for current solicitations

If you have questions or would like to set up a time to chat with our experts on how to take the necessary steps now to ensure your products are ready to deploy, Contact Us.

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