Planned standard for protection against corruption

Section 1.1.9. of Annex III of the new EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 defines requirements regarding protection against corruption. The legislator requires here that the connection of a device (probably meaning USB sticks or other data carriers) as well as the connection with ‘remote devices’, i.e. via the Internet, must not lead to dangerous situations.
 

In addition, sections 1.2.1. a, d, f, for example, contain new requirements for the robustness of control systems. It is particularly important to emphasise at this point that the regulation distinguishes between unintentional and intentional tampering. While the former primarily refers to employees who make changes without malicious intent, intentional manipulation primarily refers to hacking, which can also be carried out by deliberately influencing employees (social engineering).
 

The future standard is intended to cover both aspects of section 1.1.9. (Protection against corruption) and the resulting requirements of the corresponding subsections of 1.2.1. (Safety and reliability of control systems), parts a) and f).

The aim of the standard is therefore to provide requirements and recommendations for protection against accidental and intentional damage to machinery, including malicious acts by third parties that lead to dangerous situations.

The scope of the standard should therefore extend to the following products:

• Hardware components, including interfaces to remote devices and control systems that can transmit signals or data.
• Software and data if they could influence the safety of the machine.
   

In summer 2024, Technical Committee 44X (Safety of machinery and equipment: electrotechnical aspects) of CENELEC, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation, started work on a harmonised standard prEN 50742 (Safety of machinery - Protection against corruption) to cover the relevant sections 1.1.9. and 1.2.1. of Machinery Regulation 2023/1230.¹

This standardisation project is currently in the committee phase. A draft standard for public comment is expected in summer 2025.²

According to the contents of the draft standardisation request to the European standardisation organisations from the EU Commission, harmonised standards to cover the requirements of the Machinery Regulation should be adopted by 20 January 2026 at the latest. This would therefore be the latest date on which prEN 50742 could be expected to be published, with publication in the EU Official Journal in accordance with the Machinery Regulation ideally expected before January 2027.