How Industry 4.0 Could Propel the Development of Cybersecurity
Published on : Friday 17-04-2020
In the modern digital environment, every organization across each sector is rapidly shifting towards digitalization, and implementing digital solutions and upgrading conventional systems at a large scale. This rapid digitalization is leading to the new era of the industrial revolution and that is industry 4.0. But it is a fact that this industrial revolution also brings a new operational risk for smart manufacturers. Due to the custom made characteristic of manufacturing systems, it is important to consider cybersecurity within the manufacturing.
As we already approached the fourth industrial revolution, there are also Industry 4.0 cybersecurity incidents emerging, forcing to reinforce cyber resilience. In this way, making cybersecurity strategies should be secure, attentive, and resilient, on top of fully integrated into the organizational strategy from the beginning.
Cybersecurity in Industry 4.0
The need to hoist cybersecurity in the fourth industrial revolution is even more imperative, as the impact of potential threats ranges from compromising physical security to production downtimes, and spoilage of products to damaging equipment and hurting financial and reputational losses.
The increased level of connectivity that Industry 4.0 requires has given to the introduction of systems that are more open, for serving a general-purpose to some extent, like those that have been used in information and communication technology (ICT) over the last several years.
In this case, manufacturers must deploy robust security frameworks, like CIS Controls or the NCSC Cyber Essentials model. This can assist businesses to get benefits from tools, including risk management, privilege access management, anti-virus protection and employee awareness and training programmes.
Shifting towards Industry 4.0 means the rapid connectivity of smart machinery. In other words, the fourth industrial revolution drives a new age of connected, smart manufacturing, responsive supply networks, and in-demand products and services.
The risks of Cybersecurity immediately affect cyber-physical systems, the internet of things, and the internet of services. With the increasing smart, autonomous technologies, Industry 4.0 brings the digital world with physical action where it can drive smart factories and enable advanced manufacturing. While it tends to heighten digital capabilities across the manufacturing and supply chain processes, it also draws new cyber risks for companies that are not prepared or not adapted themselves with the changing environment.
Therefore, there is a need to consider these risks generated by smart devices in manufacturing, and addressing these risks, cybersecurity must be an integral part of companies’ strategy. As Industry 4.0 is still in infancy, we believe Cybersecurity is essential in this industrial age.