Another EtherCAT Advantage: Meet Your Cybersecurity Needs So Much Easier
- Martin Rostan
- 7 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Strengthening industrial networking in a more regulated future
As cybersecurity regulations and stakeholder expectations continue to evolve, industrial communication systems must deliver not only high performance, but cyber resilience. In the final Webinar Wednesday session of 2025, Beckhoff USA’s Director of Product Management, Daymon Thompson was joined by Martin Rostan, Executive Director of the EtherCAT Technology Group and Senior Vice President of Technology Marketing at Beckhoff, to explore how EtherCAT’s architecture and functional principles help manufacturers address modern cybersecurity requirements by default, while maintaining the speed and determinism expected of real time automation systems. As regulations such as the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) take effect, industrial cybersecurity is no longer optional.
Other industrial Ethernet networks are typically based on the Internet Protocol (IP) and switched architectures, increasing exposure to common cyber threats. EtherCAT takes a much different approach. The EtherCAT device protocol uses the Ethernet frame directly, rather than IP, while virtually all malware is based on IP because it is needed for routing. And by processing frames directly in hardware, EtherCAT limits the attack surface at the field level. Non-EtherCAT traffic is automatically filtered out, and devices cannot transmit or intercept unauthorized data.
This architecture-driven approach enables EtherCAT to meet IEC 62443 Security Level 2 requirements without modification. For machine builders and system integrators, this means cybersecurity is built in, not added later through complex and costly countermeasures.
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Innovation meets compliance
EtherCAT’s inherent cybersecurity advantages are especially valuable in real-world manufacturing environments where uptime, determinism, and simplicity matter. Because EtherCAT does not rely on IP for real-time communication, common threats such as malware, ransomware, and denial-of-service attacks cannot propagate on the control network. At the same time, the elimination of switches reduces both hardware complexity and potential vulnerability points.
These characteristics allow manufacturers to meet regulatory requirements without sacrificing performance. High-speed motion control, precise synchronization, and deterministic data exchange remain unaffected, even as cybersecurity expectations increase. The result is a communication system that supports both compliance and productivity.
Driving secure automation forward with EtherCAT
With more than 8,500 member companies worldwide and over 88 million deployed nodes, EtherCAT is the world’s leading industrial Ethernet technology. Its deterministic performance, long-term compatibility, and inherently secure design make it well-suited for manufacturers navigating an increasingly regulated and connected world.
From standalone machines to complex production lines and multi-site operations, EtherCAT enables secure, scalable automation, helping manufacturers stay compliant, competitive, and confident in the face of growing cybersecurity threats.
Ready to learn more about how to secure your industrial networking with EtherCAT? Contact your local Beckhoff sales engineer today!
And check out our upcoming and on-demand webinars to stay current on the latest automation innovations from Beckhoff.
Martin Rostan is the Executive Director of the EtherCAT Technology Group