Cybersecurity to safeguard operating technology

The fourth industrial revolution heralds an era of tremendous potential for innovation and growth. It also brings new risks and challenges, this might be most evident in today’s manufacturing cyber landscape. This section explores how cybersecurity has been prioritised by manufacturers, with a focus on OT cybersecurity to safeguard operating technology assets, systems, and processes from cyberattack and comply with strict regulatory requirements.

- Somnath Banerjee

Manufacturing has long been a foundational part of the global economy and a leader in technological innovation. In a world dominated by a focus on the fourth industrial revolution, and what has been called Industry 4.0, manufacturers have increasingly adopted robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and advanced analytics.

Adoption of new technologies

In an effort to increase productivity in their operations, many manufacturing companies became some of the earliest adopters of technology. Paperless trends among other industries, manufacturers using technology to store employee records, credit accounts, transaction information, banking account transactions, and even trade secrets. Industry 4.0 is revolutionising the way companies manufacture, improve, and distribute their products. As manufacturers strive to keep pace with adopting new technologies that come with the next phase of the industrial revolution, it has resulted in manufacturers digitising their environments.

However, while this has its benefits, such as increased automation, process improvements, and new levels of efficiency, it is also exposing critical Operational Technology (OT) to security vulnerabilities and presenting new windows of opportunity for cybercriminals. Since last year, there has been an 88% increase in OT vulnerabilities, which are used to attack critical infrastructure and expose vital systems to potentially devastating breaches. More specifically, 89% of electricity, oil & gas, and manufacturing firms have experienced cyberattacks impacting production and energy supply over the past 12 months. With OT systems supporting high-level control systems & other essential industrial equipment, attacks on these vital assets can inflict severe economic damage and even endanger public health and safety.