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A tempering valve is essential to hot water systems, as it regulates the water temperature to ensure safety and comfort. Installing a tempering valve ensures mixing hot water with cold flows at an optimum temperature, usually between 45°C and 50°C.

If you’ve noticed that your hot tap is dripping, don’t ignore it; you’re likely to experience more damage the longer you wait to fix it.

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With increasing digitalization (Industry 4.0 and smart grid networks), the use of the air gap has eroded or disappeared altogether. OT (operations technology) and IT (information technology) networks are converging and resulting in the evolution of a new threat landscape.

This blog covers topics on automation cybersecurity such as risk assessment, compliance, educational resources, and how to leverage the ISA/IEC 62443 series of standards.

Over time, your tempering valve will age, compromising its precision, especially if you need a hot water system replacement. A sure sign you need a new tempering valve installed is when the temperature fluctuates when showering, e.g. it’s warm one minute and cold the next.

Tempering valves are also frequently installed in industrial or medical settings where there is a greater risk of scalds or burns due to high temperatures, ensuring safer levels of hot water.

As a result, tempered water is no longer being delivered throughout the home, creating an uncomfortable and potentially dangerous situation for both occupants and your equipment.

When your hot water goes to the opposite extreme and loses its temperature instantly, it’s a sure sign you are experiencing major valve failure. Cold water may seem like a safe temperature, but it can leave severe burns on your body by freezing skin cells and reducing blood flow.

It is essential to have your tempering valve checked regularly. Ask Canberra Plumbing & Drains for an inspection, and you can rest assured that you are safe. Our team of plumbers have extensive experience and knowledge, and their approach to customer service is second-to-none.

If you still believe that ICS networks are air-gapped, then you should look at Shodan. You may be surprised to see so many unprotected or misconfigured ICS devices directly connected to the Internet. (Note: Hacking any system without authorization is illegal.)

Air-gapped or isolated networks often create a false sense of security, and even truly air-gapped networks are vulnerable to targeted attacks by determined adversaries. Instead of holding onto a belief in this myth, it is important to assess and take concrete measures to address ICS cyber risks.

In contrast, a thermostatic mixing valve mixes cold and hot water to maintain a constant temperature for hot water fixtures such as showers and baths. The mixing valve relies on a thermal actuator to monitor the temperature of the water coming from both sources and adjusts the amount to maintain a set temperature.

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While cooled water could be a sign of other plumbing concerns, such as replacing the gas bottle or a fuse that has tripped, often it’s related to the hot water tempering valve and needs repair or replacement.

A thermostatic mixing valve and a tempering valve are often mistaken for each other. Each combines hot and cold for an optimum water temperature; however, they differ considerably.

Misconceptions about ICS/OT cybersecurity are stubborn. This "mythbusting" blog series will disprove five common myths related to ICS cybersecurity.

Canberra Plumbing and Drains A:82 Kalgoorlie Cres, Fisher ACT 2611 P: (02) 6288 9929 Lic: ACT 2024605 Lic: NSW 194945C ABN: 55 602 313 566

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In many incidents, attackers first gained access to corporate networks or exploited suppliers’ systems before moving to OT/ICS networks. This happened in the case of the cyberattack on Ukrainian utilities in 2015 that caused loss of power for more than 225,000 customers.

As a result, organizations developed some beliefs about ICS cybersecurity (such as the air gap, proprietary ICS protocols, and security through obscurity), which, at that time, were sufficient to justify the “no further action for cybersecurity” policies.

A tempering valve prevents accidental scalding by allowing adjustments to the heat flow from a hot water tap, showers and other fixtures. These valves are ideal in areas where young children and high-risk persons may be present, such as bathrooms, kitchens, swimming pools, or nursing homes for the elderly.

Not only are tempering valves recommended, it is regulated. If you’re considering having a new hot water system installed, and your new hot water heater doesn’t include the installation of a tempering valve, it unfortunately will not comply with Australian Standards.

These beliefs were further strengthened because there was no evidence of any reported cyberattack against ICS until around 2010 or so. Even if any cyberattack on ICS had happened before 2010, it must have gone unreported due to the lack of  adequate ICS forensics capabilities to investigate ICS cyberattacks.

In this blog post, we will look further into what a tempering valve is, explain what happens when a valve fails, and discuss possible solutions that don’t always involve a whole new hot water system.

Not only does it waste water and drive up your utility bills, but it can also lead to water damage within your walls or floors if the droplets penetrate through them. Additionally, the dripping noise from a leaking tap can be distracting and stress your plumbing system over time due to increased wear and tear.

A tempering valve regulates the temperature of heated water, but when it fails, it can cause drastic temperature changes that lead to a range of issues.

To stay focused with the scope, I will try to avoid discussion on solving the ICS cybersecurity challenges, and rather focus on discussing the common myths and beliefs. I will cover ICS cybersecurity solutions and best practices in a future paper.

As we often discuss, strange noises coming from any of your plumbing are a cause for concern. Rumbling noises indicate a broken valve or a build-up of sediment. It’s best to get any noises checked quickly before the problem becomes worse.

As we discuss a few myths and beliefs related to ICS cybersecurity over a series of several blog posts, it is important to avoid blaming anyone (the operations team or the security team) for these beliefs. Instead, we need to focus on exposing ground reality based on field experience and spread awareness. In this blog series, we will not only discuss a few myths, but also review some of the cyberattacks that could have been prevented with basic awareness and security measures.

The material and information contained on this website is for general information purposes only. ISAGCA blog posts may be authored by ISA staff and guest authors from the cybersecurity community. Views and opinions expressed by a guest author are solely their own, and do not necessarily represent those of ISA. Posts made by guest authors have been subject to peer review.

ICS stands for industrial control systems (also know as operations technology or OT). It is a generic term used to describe various control systems and their instrumentation. ICS are used for controlling and monitoring industrial processes used in manufacturing, energy, utilities, chemicals, and many other industrial sectors. ICS basically integrates hardware, software, and network connectivity for running and supporting critical infrastructure (such as electricity, gas, water, and so on). ICS systems get data from remote sensors and send commands to the machinery for the appropriate actions to take.

An adversary can take advantage of these ad-hoc channels by tricking staff or contractors into installing fake software updates and patches, or transferring files that will introduce malware into industrial networks via USB drives. This is how the Stuxnet malware was able to disrupt Iran’s nuclear program.

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It’s not usual for your warm shower to suddenly blast cool and hot water before returning to a steady temperature. The temperature-sensitive element of your hot water tempering valves no longer retain the constant outlet temperature and requires a new TMV installed.

If you need to locate your tempering valves, they are found outside the hot water system between the cold and hot water lines. The cold and hot water supply travels to the tempering valve to mix together, providing water at a safe temperature to your laundry, kitchen and bathroom taps.

As for business/corporate IT systems, the need for cybersecurity in ICS has evolved over a period of time, but at a much slower pace compared to corporate IT security. However, because ICS are used in critical infrastructure, the implications of not having adequate cybersecurity measures in ICS are much more serious compared to that in corporate IT systems. Also, ICS cybersecurity primary requirements (safety, reliability, and availability) are not exactly the same as the cybersecurity needs of corporate IT systems (which typically focus on confidentiality and privacy). It even becomes more difficult to secure ICS due to inherent design issues and the presence of legacy systems and protocols with limited capability to support security requirements to address risks.

In our experience in conducting hundreds of vulnerability assessments in the private sector, in no case have we ever found the operations network, the SCADA system or energy management system separated from the enterprise network. On average, we see 11 direct connections between those networks. In some extreme cases, we have identified up to 250 connections between the actual producing network and the enterprise network.

Aside from being frustrating, low hot water pressure is a sign that your hot water system or tempering valve works less efficiently than they have previously. Tempering valves become clogged with mineral deposits and other contaminants, along with corrosion and wear from age.

While it could mean you simply need a washer change, it can also be the tempering valve for your hot and cold water. When there is a dripping issue related to the valve, it usually indicates that the ball-type mechanism has become unseated or completely dislodged and needs repairing by a team offering services that meet the plumbing codes of Australia.

Like many other plumbing issues, we offer services to ensure problems like those associated with your hot water system do not worsen. We recommend a regular, yearly inspection to avoid any serious issues from occurring and prolong the lifespan of your tempering valves.

You can expect us to go the extra mile to ensure your tempering valve works as it should avoid scalding when using hot water. Contact us at (02) 6288 9929.

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As an essential component of your hot water unit, knowing the signs that may indicate your tempering valve needs repair or wider hot water system replacements can help prevent further damage or harm. Here are some common signs you have hot water tempering valve failure:

In the older days of industrial revolution, ICS were built with a primary focus on safety, reliability, and availability. For decades, physical gates and locks were used as primary protection mechanisms. Cybersecurity was not even considered a concern at that time. Concepts like firewalls, intrusion detection, and anti-virus measures were not well-known.

Finally, there may be many more ICS cybersecurity-related myths, but I have included only the five most common in this blog series.

Stay tuned for the next part in this series, in which we break down Myth #2: the belief that ICS protocols are proprietary and inaccessible to hackers.

As mentioned, a tempering valve reduces scalding risks by creating a maximum delivery temperature, and lowering hot water temperatures to safe levels before supplying it to faucets or shower heads. They use a flow control mechanism that regulates how much cooler and hot water is mixed together, thus creating an output at a lower but consistent temperature range acceptable for human contact.

Even in an air-gapped ICS network, there are many business reasons for files and data to be moved between the ICS and outside networks. Some examples include configuration files, software patches, and files from vendors such as system integrators or contractors.

Air gaps between the ICS network and other networks—if implemented correctly and maintained—are very effective barriers against cyberattacks. However, a true air gap is no longer practical in an interconnected world. While many will agree that air gaps are disappearing, some still believe this is a viable security measure.