Industry News: Manufacturing and Cyber Attacks is Real

With manufacturing having its roots in the industrial age, the 2023 uptick in cyber-attacks in the manufacturing world has forced companies to get back to the basics when it comes to security measures. In 2022, over 40% of global ICS systems were affected by a cyber-attack. Many companies are operating on legacy systems that can’t accommodate current security protocols. Add to that, an increase in the remote workforce and security layers become even more challenging.

What are the basics when it comes to a secure infrastructure? Zero Tolerance – “never trust, always verify”. Embracing this practice across the entire company is critical in this modern world of manufacturing. Here are some basic principles around the Zero Trust framework:

Start with comprehensive visibility:  Know and assess your OT threat surface with accurate visibility across the entire footprint of your organization. You can’t secure what you can’t see.

Deploy segmentation and least-privilege access control: Separate your OT networks from corporate IT and the internet, and ensure every user only has access to what they need to get their job done.

Practice continuous trust verification and security inspection Ensure you have a security system that continuously inspects all network traffic    and validates the security posture of all of your OT assets, users and applications.

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