How to Keep Your Smart Factory Secure Business
We've got some great deals going on right now exclusively for our online customers... chat now to hear more! How to keep your smart factory secure,Author: Phil Muncaster,The manufacturing sector is one of the driving forces behind the economy, . And it's embracing emerging technologies like 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing to drive productivity and efficiency—the market for this by 2027, a compound annual growth rate of 18.5% from 2022, according to MarketsandMarkets. Yet as with any new technology investment, cyber threat exposure must be considered. Capgemini Research Institute found that 79% of global organizations than in a traditional manufacturing setting. Unfortunately, understanding there's a problem and doing something about it are often two different things. Capgemini highlighted persistent challenges in the sector with early threat detection, security budgets and engagement with chief security officers (CSOs). To ensure your organization maximizes the opportunities smart technologies present, security considerations should be considered at the start of every implementation. The smart factory cyber threat environment,Few factories feature only next-gen technologies. Instead, the majority incorporate a blend of old and new, including potentially decades-old industrial control systems, supervisory control and data acquisition equipment, and other operational technology (OT). These legacy technologies are an attractive target for threat actors. Employees can also pose a security risk. OT vulnerabilities,The , accounting for 26% of attempted compromises largely due to its use of OT, according to Forescout. As legacy equipment is fitted with connectivity and integrated into IT systems, it subsequently , unless air-gapped from the public-facing internet. About 59% of to better secure themselves from cyber attacks. The challenge here is that many such products can be insecure by design because they lack the necessary security controls to help reduce the risk of cyber breaches. For example, one study from Forescout found , including some of the most popular producers of OT. These ranged from remote code execution to insecure firmware updates, weak cryptography and insecure engineering protocols. Vendors can be slow to update their software, and once available, factory owners may find it difficult to take critical systems offline to test patches. IoT device issues,More modern endpoints may also lack firmware updates and feature easy-to-guess or crack password-based authentication. If not properly isolated or protected, IoT devices can be used to gain a foothold in corporate networks. Asset visibility,Factory owners may also struggle to name all the OT endpoints in their environment because they can't afford the downtime needed to run full system scans. As the saying goes: You can't protect what you can't see. That may partly explain why vulnerability exploitation was the top infection vector at . User error,that cyber attackers use. This is unsurprising: Users remain a top target for attackers and as long as static credentials for IT and OT systems remain in circulation, malicious actors will be motivated to steal them through social engineering. Supply chains,Manufacturing organizations are a critical element of global supply chains, but they also have their own complex ecosystem of suppliers. Unfortunately, these can unwittingly increase manufacturing cyber security risk. Over half (51%) of global CSOs believe smart factory security threats primarily originate from partners and vendors. In particular, they may be using non-standard smart factory processes to repair or update OT and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) systems—something 77% of CSOs are concerned about. The main smart factory security threats,Unsurprisingly, threat actors are taking advantage of these security blind spots to steal data, monetize extortion and disrupt manufacturing operations. The Verizon 2022 DBIR ranks the analyzed. Most (88%) and were motivated by financial gain (88%) or espionage (11%). Basic web application attacks and system intrusions, as well as complex attacks using malware and/or hacking, are on the rise and occur frequently in this sector, the report found. Along with social engineering, they comprise 88% of breaches in manufacturing. The study found the top action types in manufacturing breaches are:,This aligns broadly with the threat actor motivations of data theft and extortion. It also aligns with common security deficiencies like poor user awareness, vulnerable technology and visibility gaps. The potential impact of smart factory attacks,A cyber attack on your organization can cause , such as:,How better smart factory security can mitigate risk,Capgemini explains that its work with manufacturing firms has highlighted the difference between those with a mature cyber security posture and the rest. The leaders in this regard focus on several fronts to deliver awareness, preparedness and implementation of security controls. This might involve:,In terms of specific security controls, manufacturers could consider:,Discover how Verizon can help . Capgemini Research Institute, , page 2. Forescout, , page 3. Forescout, , page 3. Capgemini Research Institute, page 29. Capgemini Research Institute, page 4. If you'd like to receive new articles, solutions briefs, whitepapers and more—just let us know. . * Indicates a required field. We will follow up from your contact request using the information provided. Choose your country to view contact details. 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