Secure Communications
FactoryTalk® Optix™
supports OPC UA secure communications using
certificate-based trust, endpoint authentication, security policies, message signing,
and encryption. The protection that you use depends on the configured OPC UA transport,
message security mode, and security policy.OPC UA Communication
OPC UA enables open and interoperable communication while enforcing security
standards. At runtime,
FactoryTalk® Optix™
sends project data through
an OPC UA server and consumes data from other systems through OPC UA client
connections. This architecture allows secure communications across system
components. OPC UA in
FactoryTalk® Optix™
supports secure sessions
that authenticate endpoints before data exchange begins and enforce security
policies for all read, write, event, and method interactions. For more information, see OPC UA in .
TLS Data Encryption
All secure OPC UA communications in
FactoryTalk® Optix™
use TLS to
encrypt data in transit. TLS prevents unauthorized parties from viewing or modifying
messages as they traverse the network. This protection applies to: - Runtime communications betweenFactoryTalk® Optix™and OPC UA servers or clients
- Connections to third‑party OPC UA devices and software
- Deployments where data flows across network segments
Traffic encryption ensures that sensitive process data, credentials, and commands are
not intercepted or altered during transmission.
Certificate‑based Authentication and Trust
FactoryTalk® Optix™
relies on X.509 certificates to establish trust
between OPC UA clients and servers. Each participating system presents a certificate
during connection to verify identity before allowing communication. Only trusted
certificates can establish secure sessions. Certificates are used to: - Authenticate OPC UA clients and servers
- Prevent connections from untrusted or unknown devices
- Enable mutual trust between FactoryTalk Optix target devices and external systems
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