Patch Management vs Continuous Operations
Use risk-based patch scheduling with compensating controls to satisfy IEC 62443 vulnerability-management requirements while preserving continuous production availability.
CyberTRIZ analysis · Seveso contradiction CY003 · one of 8,235 worked contradictions published by CyberTRIZ.AI
Regulations
Business Context
Security patches eliminate known vulnerabilities but frequently require
equipment restarts or temporary service interruptions.
The Contradiction
Regular patching improves cybersecurity.
Continuous operation maximizes production availability.
Why It Exists
Many industrial systems operate continuously and cannot easily tolerate
frequent shutdowns for software maintenance.
Direction
Apply risk-based patch management using redundant architectures,
scheduled maintenance windows, and compensating security controls when
immediate patching is not possible.