Feature

Machinery cybersecurity: Optimising resilience

As cyber-physical systems are deployed, new vulnerabilities may emerge and a cyberattack can put an entire industrial facility at risk. Vulnerabilities include a lack of knowledge about how to apply IT security protection to machinery that has not traditionally required it, as well as systems running legacy communication networks with which today’s cybersecurity software is incompatible.

03/05/2022 13:11:03

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Furthermore, merging traditional ways of working with Industry 4.0 approaches can cause problems. For example, remote maintenance by equipment suppliers or subcontractors requires a connection to their network,
which may be infected or have less stringent IT security. Likewise, any existing machines on the factory floor that lack digital identification and authentication functionality do not allow end users
to be sure that operating instructions received by the network are from an authorised person and not a hacker. There is also the risk that the smart tags on
components or the final product may be manipulated in a cyberattack.

Machinery suppliers and integrators must therefore optimise the cyber resilience of their connected components and systems, implementing security solutions
from the start. For machinery end users, this means that analyses, assessments and tests should be pivotal in implementing appropriate security controls.

Read the full article in the May issue of DPA

Written By Sophia Bell

Sophia Bell is the Group Editor of DPA, Connectivity, and PBSI. She joined the team in 2020 as Assistant Editor after achieving a First-Class Honours BA in English Literature and Film Studies from the University of East Anglia. In her current role, she leads the editorial strategy, driving digital growth and ensuring each title continues to deliver trusted, relevant insight for engineering and manufacturing professionals.