As the industrial sector becomes increasingly interconnected, the need for security grows as well. Industrial cybersecurity is an absolute necessity for businesses in the sector in order to protect their operations, partners, customers, and employees.
Components of Industrial Cybersecurity
One of the key factors of industrial cybersecurity is that it must cover very different fields that require very different solutions in terms of security. The two major concerns for industrial cybersecurity are:
Information Technology
Information technology (IT) is exactly what its name implies: technology that manages the collection, analysis, and sharing of information. IT in the industrial sector consists of the countless industrial computers, servers, and software programs that modern companies rely on to track their operations, manage inventories, and communicate between different departments.
IT cybersecurity is focused on the protection of information, preventing unauthorized access, and ensuring its availability and integrity.
Operational Technology
Operational technology (OT) refers to the hardware used by industrial companies in their daily operations. For example, an oil company’s pipelines and the machinery used to control them are operational technology. Along with manufacturing and transportation machinery, OT represents critical infrastructure that delivers basic necessities for life, such as electricity, heat, and drinkable water.
OT cybersecurity is concerned with protecting this machinery. To use the previous example, the oil company’s OT cybersecurity efforts would be focused on preventing an outside intruder from affecting the pipeline’s functions, such as the rate at which oil flows through it, pressure within the pipeline, its destination, etc.
Common Threats in Industrial Cybersecurity
Cybercriminals come in multiple categories, from thieves seeking to steal financial information to state-endorsed actors. The most common threats that they pose include:
Phishing and Social Engineering
Phishing is the most common type of cyberattack, targeting employees by impersonating trusted contacts such as business partners or other departments within the company. Through this deception, criminals can obtain sensitive information such as login credentials or financial records, which they use to wreak even further havoc.
Phishing is so effective because it targets the most vulnerable part of any security system: the people within it, and their natural inclination towards trust. Phishing is a concern for both IT and OT, as stolen credentials can easily be used to sabotage both if there’s no network segmentation.
Ransomware
Ransomware is a type of malware that infects devices and encrypts their stored data, making it impossible to access without a decryption key. Attackers will then issue a ransom and demand payment for those decryption keys, and if their demands are not met, the data remains encrypted and useless forever.
One example of this is the attack on Colonial Pipeline, a major supplier of gasoline on the U.S. East Coast. In May of 2021, hackers broke into Colonial Pipeline’s network, stealing data and infecting it with ransomware that sabotaged much of the company’s computer systems. Colonial Pipeline was forced to shut down thousands of miles of pipeline to prevent the ransomware from spreading, and eventually paid the ransom that the attackers demanded ($4.4 million in cryptocurrency). The Colonial Pipeline attack is a stark reminder of how closely tied IT and OT are, as an attack on one can easily compromise the other.
Supply Chain Attacks
Modern manufacturers often rely on partnerships to supply goods and services they themselves cannot. Unfortunately, these partners and vendors may have completely different or insufficient cybersecurity practices that put the manufacturer at risk. If a vendor suffers a cybersecurity breach, it can easily compromise other companies that rely on them. A strong example of this is the 2020 SolarWinds attack. SolarWinds, a provider of network management and monitoring suites called Orion, was compromised by Russian hackers, who were able to access the data of over 30,000 public and private organizations. Emails, production plans, and personal information were all accessed.
Supply chain attacks are particularly troublesome, as they target factors that are often outside of an industrial company’s control.
IP Theft
A company’s intellectual property is often the key to its success. Unique design choices, optimized factory layouts, and trade secrets all give a business its competitive edge, and all of them can potentially be stolen during a cyberattack. Given the competitive nature of capitalist markets, manufacturers are particularly likely to be targeted for IP theft. From 2010 to 2015, hackers accessed the Volkswagen Group’s IT infrastructure, stealing roughly 19,000 documents that covered everything from gasoline engine developments to future plans for electric and hydrogen cars.
Equipment Sabotage
Sometimes, hackers will target OT or infrastructure not for the sake of theft or ransom, but outright damage and destruction. These attacks are particularly dangerous, as they seek to maximize the harm they inflict, rather than the profit they can reap. Sabotage is most often performed by hostile nation-states seeking to weaken their enemies, such as the attack on Ukraine’s power grid in 2015. Similar malicious attacks have targeted oil pipelines, dams, and IT services.
Malicious Insiders and Negligence
Sadly, sometimes the threat to a company’s cybersecurity comes from inside. An aggrieved employee with internal access to IT or OT resources can easily damage machinery or leak proprietary information online. These actions are easy to attribute to accidents or the natural wear and tear that machinery accrues, making it difficult to discern their true cause.
Even a negligent employee can accidentally create vulnerabilities by ignoring security policies, neglecting to install updates, or sharing information that they shouldn’t have with friends and family. Every careless action, every weak password, every skipped patch makes it easier for outside intruders to gain access.
Solutions and Best Practices
For every problem, there is a solution, for every threat, a counter. Industrial cybersecurity is no different. While you cannot plan for every possible scenario, certain best practices will make you far better prepared for if and when a cyberattack threatens your business.
Data Encryption and Loss Prevention
While data encryption can be used to sabotage data and lock it away from its rightful owner, encryption can also be used to protect data from outside intrusion. Many modern PCs are built with TPM chips as a standard feature, bringing cryptographic protection to any information saved on them. If you use cloud-based architectures, having backup copies is also essential. This is best done by storing information off-site or on multiple servers. This way, even if a cyberattack or natural disaster destroys the primary copy, there will still be other versions available.
Incident Response Plans
Developing an effective incident response plan is critical in the event of a data breach. This means having a team of professionals with a wide range of skills, including cybersecurity, legal, PR, and more, equipped with the right tools to address the situation. This will enable them to detect, analyze, contain, and destroy any intrusion, while also communicating with other stakeholders and the public throughout the process.
Vulnerability Assessments
The only way to determine if you have a weakness in your cybersecurity efforts is if someone finds it. Now, who would you rather have discover this issue: a “white-hat” hacker who legally works to locate and correct these issues, or a criminal who will try to ransom your data or sabotage your machinery? Vulnerability assessments are critical for identifying areas of improvement, such as updating your security software or training employees on how to spot phishing attempts.
Access Control (Remote and In-Person)
Controlling who can access what is critical for both IT and OT security. In-person access control can involve tools like RFID-based badges and scanners built into industrial panel PCs, which only let authorized employees use specific tools or machinery. This is ideal for protecting legacy hardware, which often lack security measures as a baseline. By implementing a modern panel PC as a user interface and access control method, companies can continue using their legacy equipment and avoid expensive replacements.
Remote access control relies more on authentication methods, and often multiple at the same time. Passwords, security tokens, biometric scans, and other methods are used for multi-factor authentication; if one method is compromised, then others can still block unauthorized access.
Network Segmentation and Traffic Control
Network segmentation is the practice of controlling movement across systems within a computer network, using tools like firewalls to limit traffic. For example, a company that runs several factories can segment its network so that workers at a factory can only access that particular factory’s control system or inventory records. These measures help reduce the scope of a cyberattack; if one facility is compromised, then the rest should be able to continue functioning without issue.
Work With Trusted Partners
The possibility of a vendor or partner’s mistakes causing a data breach for your company means you must be careful in who you choose to work with. A significant part of the purchasing and partnering process should involve investigating their own cybersecurity efforts to ensure they’re doing their part to protect your company. Look at how they handle the best practices recommended in this section; do they have a fleshed-out incident response plan, or is it left undefined? Do they encrypt all inbound and outbound communication, or is it left vulnerable to prying eyes?
Secure Industrial Computers from Cybernet Manufacturing
Industrial cybersecurity must be more than another line on a company’s budget. A digitally-connected world requires serious effort to protect it, just as a building requires locks and fences. For businesses, this means investing in effective software, hardware, and training security measures.
If your company needs industrial-grade computers that also offer robust cybersecurity features, contact the team at Cybernet Manufacturing. We can implement security measures such as TPM chips, RFID-based access control, and more, without compromising on the rugged construction that computers need to handle harsh working environments.