Smart factories have taken the manufacturing industry by storm, utilizing modern technology to automate and update manufacturing processes. However, this digitalization has risks involved.
“The fourth industrial revolution has arrived. Also called industry 4.0, this term refers to the rise of smart factories and how manufacturing as an industry is quickly transitioning from place-based warehouses to networks of global software, automated systems, OT, and integration of the internet of all things to manufacture anything and everything in entirely new ways. It’s new, it’s exciting, and it carries with it a myriad of cybersecurity risks that many smart factories are not ready to address.” (Security Boulevard).
As more and more manufacturers become increasingly connected, risks increase as well.
“Just like a data breach at a healthcare organization can lead to HIPAA fines, operational downtime, and real-world issues with patient care, a breach in manufacturing carries significant consequences. And just like healthcare, manufacturing as an industry presents similar vulnerabilities:
- Massive amounts of third-party connections
2. Heavy regulations
3. Technology is being implemented faster than the cybersecurity needed to protect it
4. Large number of accesses into various systems, access points, and assets.” (Security Boulevard).
Recently, a small Ohio company had a scare following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Jeff Karan, the director of Enterprise Technology at G&W Products in Fairfield, Ohio, received a “Shields Up” warning email from the U.S Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
“The CISA alert on Feb. 22 was prompted by expectations of disruptive cyber activity in retaliation for sanctions imposed on Russia by the U.S. and its allies in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The warning eventually was picked up by media coverage that helped spread the message to businesses and everyday people who didn’t receive direct notices.” (Protocol).
Having a smart factory system, G&W was worried.
“G&W’s equipment and devices are internally networked and also connected to the internet. It uses cloud-based enterprise resource planning software to manage and analyze HR, accounting, materials inventory and more. While this has helped the company be more efficient than in the past, when paper or offline tools like Excel spreadsheets led to problems such as excess raw materials piling up on the factory floor, these connected systems are also vulnerable to cyberattacks.” (Protocol).
Not only should G&W be worried, but every company in the supply chain should be worried as well.
“Even missteps inside a small manufacturer like G&W could affect multiple connected companies and systems, said Michael Sentonas, CTO of CrowdStrike, a global cybersecurity company that helps businesses conduct threat intelligence and incident response. “They’ve got suppliers, they’re attached to other systems. It spreads from their partners down the line,” he said.” (Protocol).
All manufacturers should be highly alert following this warning.
“Cyberattacks can affect any company in the supply chain, “whether you bottle pickles or make parts that go into an M15,” said Cathy Pitt, chief security officer at Plex Systems, which provides the smart manufacturing platform used by G&W.” (Protocol).
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Sources:
Security Boulevard. https://securityboulevard.com/2022/02/cybersecurity-for-smart-factories-in-manufacturing/
Protocol. https://www.protocol.com/enterprise/ukraine-russia-ohio-cybersecurity-data
