KNX, the internationally leading technical standard in the smart home and building sector, has achieved a new milestone in its development. As the world’s first vendor- and application-independent security solution for smart buildings, KNX IP Secure has been recognised as an international security standard, the EN ISO 22510. The new ISO standard was published at the end of November 2019 and was created specifically to cover open data communication for building automation and building management via KNXnet/IP. Given the growing awareness for cyber threats to which smart buildings are exposed and the resulting increase in security requirements for building automation, the latest ISO standardisation highlights the role of KNX as a global technology leader.
KNX: the highest priority to maximum security
For more than a decade, the KNX technical standard has been a forerunner in top global and regional standardisation for building automation. Security has always been the top priority in the development of KNX, so much so that experts still considered the standard to be very secure. “With the ongoing progress in intelligent networking of buildings and infrastructures, including trending topics as sector coupling, smart grids, etc., there is a constantly growing number of data-driven use cases in KNX projects that rely on very sensitive data and require particularly high levels of security. This is exactly where we start with KNX Secure, in which we expand our already very secure standard with additional security mechanisms to meet the highest IT security demands,” says Franz Kammerl, President of the KNX Association.
Double protection: effectively preventing attacks on smart buildings!
KNX Secure, which was already created in 2015, is based on international security algorithms standardised in accordance with ISO 18033-3 and uses recognised encryption in accordance with AES 128 CCM. KNX Secure essentially consists of two mechanisms: KNX IP Secure protects the IP communication between the KNX installations. For this purpose, KNX IP Secure extends the IP protocol in such a way that all transferred telegrams and data are completely encrypted. At the same time, KNX Data Secure effectively protects user data, including data exchanged with the various terminals, against unauthorised access and manipulation by means of encryption and authentication. Both mechanisms can be combined and used in parallel to achieve maximum security in smart buildings.
