Artificial Intelligence, Industry 4.0

Cybersecurity and Industry 4.0

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The massive shift towards automation and technology across all industries faced its most significant challenge with the COVID-19 pandemic. The resilience, robustness, and maturity of the Industry 4.0 technologies to handle real business use cases put them to their most significant challenges to date and the technologies delivered. 

Based on McKinsey’s independent study, businesses that shifted to implementing industry 4.0 solutions have overcome them largely.

This is the closest we have ever been to Industry 4.0, with the pandemic acting as an inflection point in its adoption. 

According to the McKinsey study, more than 94% of respondents felt that Industry 4.0 had helped them keep their operations running during the crisis.

And 56% said these technologies had been critical to their crisis responses. The global COVID-19 pandemic acted as a reality check for businesses and their efforts towards Industry 4.0, with early adopters reaping the most benefits. 

Threats in Technology World

As more and more businesses gain trust in industry 4.0, the large-scale adoption of their technology increases. While a lot safer and more efficient than other options, technologies for Industry 4.0 also come with their own risks and threats. Awareness of cybersecurity risks and controlling these technologies’ hazards should be a top priority for all businesses.

Some threats that expedited in recent times:

1. Covid Lockdowns: 

Countries imposed lockdowns forced many businesses to shift to the online medium overnight to continue running their businesses. Often businesses were new and not used to the digital world.

And a number of them compromised the quality of platforms’ security and made themselves susceptible to cybersecurity threats, data leaks, etc., by not focusing on safety. 

According to a report by Deloitte, more than half a million video conferencing users globally were affected by breaches between February and May 2020 alone, and their personal data was stolen and sold on the digital web.  

2. Uncontrolled Data Explosion: 

There was a massive shift in businesses and a massive shift of users to the online world. The volume of online transactions went high, and all companies had to scale up their online presence and handle large amounts of data. 

It is estimated that one in 36 cell phones has high-risk applications installed. 

And about 80% of all web application breaches use stolen credentials. Not correctly handling large amounts of data, like not verifying user profiles, can create vulnerabilities for online businesses and users. It is easy to make one wrong decision, and before you know it, you become a cybersecurity attack target. 

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3. Unsafe Entry Points:

The Internet of Things and the adoption of intelligent devices are integral to the shift to Industry 4.0. They are also one of the most susceptible to cyber risks. 

In 2020, according to the latest Nokia Threat Report, the Internet of Things (IoT) was responsible for 32.72% of all infections observed in mobile networks, with the number of affected devices suffering an increase of over 100%. 

With the increasing proliferation of IoT, the report expects the number of IoT infections to continue growing dramatically.

With the market cap of Industry 4.0 expected to reach $214 billion by the end of 2023 and increasing access to more and more data because of the pandemic, the number of cyberattacks has grown considerably. 

TechRepublic reported a 667% rise in spear-phishing attacks in March 2020 alone, and by April, the FBI had seen a 400% increase in cyber attacks. All in all, roughly 70% of organizations hosting data or workloads in the public cloud experienced a security incident last year. 

Managing cyber risk in the hyperconnected world of Industry 4.0 seems daunting. It is imperative to take immediate action to mitigate risks as much as possible. 

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Ways to Stop Cybersecurity Attacks

Here are some of the top techniques recommended by Forbes that we can implement to stop cybersecurity attacks the best we can:

1. Agile Cybersecurity Strategies:

Not so long ago, reviewing and updating cybersecurity strategies during an annual audit was acceptable. 

But in today’s continuously changing and updating threat landscape, risks get updated and improved every minute. Having a continually updated, frequently visited agile cybersecurity strategy is a necessity. 

Whenever strategic insights and intelligence can significantly affect a company’s risk, we should consider harnessing cyber threat discovery to the fullest.

2. Careful Monitoring of Vulnerabilities

Any device, application, or software with direct, remote, or even indirect access to the organization’s systems needs close monitoring. 

Mapping out the entire overlay of connection points allows security teams to evaluate weaknesses and tighten controls. 

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3. Controlling Access

Millions of industrial sensors are deployed to collect data and relay information from one endpoint to another. It becomes vital that one edge device’s vulnerabilities and shortcomings do not jeopardize the entire ecosystem’s security. 

The organization must ensure that these devices residing at the network’s geographically dispersed edge don’t interfere with the system’s core functioning. Regular software patch-ups and vulnerability assessments must also be frequently done by the business to avoid hacking activities.

4. Usage of AI/ML

Technology advancement in risk containerization, threat segmentation, network zoning, and profiling has led to their extensive utilization in strengthening a company’s cyber posture. Organizations also use language recognition through NLP and behavioral pattern mapping to improve risk management techniques and policies.

Preventing cyber attacks and improving cybersecurity have always been a concern for businesses in the digital world. With the increasing adoption of industry 4.0, the threats and stakes have also magnified. Our responsibility is to ensure that our data and our user’s data remain safe, and we must stay vigilant and observant.

If you are looking for cybersecurity or industry 4.0 consultants, speak to one of our experts today!


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