ISA/IEC 62443 requires that vulnerability management go beyond detection and focus on understanding why vulnerabilities exist. Identification analysis is a critical step in this process.
Step 1: Purpose of identification analysis
The standard requires asset owners and suppliers to analyze discovered vulnerabilities to determine their origin and contributing factors. This ensures corrective actions address systemic issues, not just symptoms.
Step 2: Root cause focus
Root cause analysis identifies whether vulnerabilities result from configuration errors, insecure design, missing controls, or process failures. This aligns with the standard’s emphasis on prevention and continuous improvement.
Step 3: Why other options are incorrect
User interface improvements and marketing strategies are unrelated to cybersecurity risk reduction. Cost considerations may follow remediation planning but are not the purpose of identification analysis.
Step 4: Lifecycle relevance
By identifying root causes, organizations can prevent recurrence and strengthen controls across the IACS lifecycle.
Thus, the correct answer is Root cause analysis.
