Cybersecurity · Free online course
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.
- 11 modules
- 4h 46m of video
- Beginner
- English
- ₹0, free
- Lab practice in your browser
₹0Free for good
Worth ₹2,999 by length and depth against classroom training. It has always been free; that is not a former price.
No card. Checkout takes a minute and gives you a receipt.
Overview
About ICS Security Foundations: Control Systems, Defence in Depth and the 62443 Requirements
Learn how to protect industrial control systems: the Purdue model, defence in depth and the seven IEC 62443 requirements.
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.
Who it is for: Automation, OT and IT engineers responsible for security
This course includes
- 4h 46m of video lessons
- 11 modules with written notes and diagrams
- One final assessment: 15 questions, pass mark 60%
- Ask-an-engineer support from practising engineers
- Lifetime access, the course does not expire
- Optional verifiable certificate when you finish
- Step 1 of 3
Learn the 11 modules
4h 46m of video lessons, written notes and a practice task per module, at your own pace.
- Step 2 of 3
Pass the final assessment
15 questions drawn from every module, pass mark 60%, 3 attempts.
- Step 3 of 3
Take the certificate, if you want it
Optional, paid once, only if you choose it. The course stays free either way.
See the certificate and its price
A look inside
From the lessons
The Systems You Are Protecting: DCS, PLC and SCADA
by Instrumentation Tools
Building Automation, Safety Systems and the IIoT
by Instrumentation Tools
The Purdue Model and Why OT Is Not IT
by Instrumentation Tools
What Goes Wrong: Attacks, Consequences and What to Secure
by Instrumentation Tools
Defence in Depth and a Layered Architecture
by Instrumentation Tools
Foundational Requirements 1 and 2: Who You Are and What You May Do
by Instrumentation Tools
Lesson frames belong to the creators named in the Credits and are shown from YouTube.
What you learn
What you will be able to do
By the end you will be able to:
- Place any plant device on a Purdue level
- Explain why an IT security policy cannot be used unchanged in OT
- Build a layered defence for a control system
- Apply the seven foundational requirements to a real asset
- Keep an asset register and segment a network
How it works
How this course works
Watch the lessons
Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.
Read the notes
Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.
Practise in the 3D labOptional
Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.
Check yourself
Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.
Final assessment
Pass the final once you have been through the modules.
Certificate, if you want oneOptional
Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.
Syllabus
Course content, module by module
In order, at whatever pace suits you. Each module ends with a practice task that builds on the last.
- Modules
- 11
- Video lessons
- 30
- Of video
- 4h 46m
- Final questions
- 15
- 01
The Systems You Are Protecting: DCS, PLC and SCADA
3 lessons · 25m - 02
Building Automation, Safety Systems and the IIoT
3 lessons · 18m - 03
The Purdue Model and Why OT Is Not IT, with lab practice:
4 lessons · 28m - 04
What Goes Wrong: Attacks, Consequences and What to Secure
3 lessons · 29m - 05
Defence in Depth and a Layered Architecture, with lab practice:
2 lessons · 29m - 06
Foundational Requirements 1 and 2: Who You Are and What You May Do
2 lessons · 24m - 07
Foundational Requirements 3, 4 and 5: Integrity, Confidentiality and Data Flow, with lab practice:
3 lessons · 33m - 08
Foundational Requirements 6 and 7: Responding and Staying Up, with lab practice:
2 lessons · 22m Final assessment · 15 questions, pass mark 60%
3D lab
Practise in the 3D lab
Practise the course's ideas on a fictional plant in the OT security lab: levels and the DMZ, zones and conduits, protecting what cannot be patched, remote access, backups and response.
- Map the plant network: put every device on its levelOT security labOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Map the plant network: put every device on its level
- Zones and conduits: split a flat networkOT security labOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Zones and conduits: split a flat network
- Patch or protect: choose within the maintenance windowOT security labOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Patch or protect: choose within the maintenance window
- Remote access: the vendor comes in through the DMZOT security labOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Remote access: the vendor comes in through the DMZ
Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.
Project
The course project
Optional practice that ends in the kind of job the course prepares you for, with the documents that go with it.
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, and 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. Then 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.
- 7documents in the pack
- 8steps to follow
- Laboptional: in the 3D lab
- 7things to hand in
- 16 hof work, at your pace
Do it in the lab: 5 steps.
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.
Tools
Software, hardware and lessons
Software
None required. Everything is taught with diagrams and worked examples.
Hardware
None required.
Who it is for
Beginner. No security background needed; any plant or PLC exposure helps.
Software you need
Nothing to install
Everything is taught with diagrams and worked examples.
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 Wartens Ltd (England and Wales, company no. 15262249) through the EDWartens training portal, as a Certificate of Completion for this self-paced course. Sold in India by Wartens Automation Private Limited. 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.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
FAQ
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.
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.
Is the ICS Security Foundations course free in India, and what does the certificate cost?
Yes. Learning costs ₹0 in India: every module, the written notes, the practice tasks and the final assessment, with no card and no trial period. The only paid item is the optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, ₹499 including GST for this beginner course, paid in rupees through Razorpay, and only if you want it after passing the final assessment.
All course factsHide course facts
- Price
- ₹0, free for good. No trial, no card. Comparable classroom training of this length costs about ₹2,999.
- 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, ₹499 inclusive of GST for learners in India, verifiable by code. Not a vendor credential.
- Video lessons by
- Instrumentation Tools (independent creators, credited below)
- Language
- English
- Last updated
- 27 September 2026
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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.