Efficient Plant Nov./Dec. 2022 - 16

feature | cybersecurity
Identify
1
EQUIPMENT SABOTAGE
Attackers who target factory assets
want to control, stop, or destroy. In this
type of cyber-sabotage, the objective is not to
get access to a company's data but to access
the controllers that regulate the factory
equipment.
Th e best-known example of equipment
sabotage was the Stuxnet worm attack
unleashed on an Iranian nuclear facility
and detected in 2010. Stuxnet went aſt er the
control system at the Natanz nuclear plant in
Iran, causing centrifuges to spin wildly and
16 | EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM
Recognize these three
primary cybersecurity
threats and take the
suggested steps to
neutralize them.
Cybersecurity Threats
And Stop Them
Cybersecurity Threats
Cristi Kempf
MxD
MANUFACTURING IS HIT with more
cyberattacks than any other industry,
according to IBM's X-Force Th reat Intelligence
Index. Th e threats are external and internal,
aimed at data and equipment, and even target
the supply chain. In the face of this growing
risk, what follows is a description of three
primary cybersecurity threats and what you
can do to protect your operation from attacks
in these three areas.
fail while plant operators were unaware anything
was wrong. It's believed that a trusted
contractor carried the worm into the facility
on a removable drive.
Twelve years on, machinery far-less sophisticated
than centrifuges is still being targeted
by cybercriminals.
Factory equipment is built to last, oſt en
for decades. Th at longevity creates risk. Also
notable is that electronically operated/controlled
equipment from the 1970s and 1980s
was built before manufacturers were worried
about cybersecurity.
Th e best way to minimize risk and prevent
such attacks is with a defense-in-depth strategy.
Th is involves multiple levels of security so
that, if cybercriminals get through one, they
face many more barriers.
One place to start is with physical protection
of the factory fl oor. Th at's done by strictly
controlling who is allowed onto the premises.
No one can use an infected USB for an attack
if they can't get near the equipment.
Other safety steps include locking the
server room, installing a fi rewall, blocking
fi rewall ports to limit access, and ensuring
that the only way for people to access the
network is with a username and password.
Creating subnetworks is another way to halt
or slow an attack. If networks are segmented,
cybercriminals may bring down one line but
won't disable the entire factory.
Phishing attacks (in which individuals are
tricked into clicking a bad link that releases
malware) are among cybercriminals' top
weapons. Training and testing employees on
ways to avoid falling victim to such ruses is
critical.
2
INSIDER THREATS
Sometimes the biggest cyber threat
comes from within. Disgruntled or
distracted employees, vendors with a grudge,
or a visitor with bad intentions can do a lot of
damage.
Th ey can steal employee personal information
and sell it. Th ey can sabotage equipment.
Th ey can introduce malware, intentionally or
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