Enhancing Industrial Cyber security

Cybersecurity is used to protect the device from any kind of cyber attack from unauthorized digital access. And in today’s interconnected world, cyber-attacks pose a serious threat to national security. Its goal is to reduce the risk of cyber-attacks and give protection to the systems from getting exploited by unauthorized access. 

In order to enhance industrial cybersecurity, we must first understand the unique challenges of industrial control systems. This blog post will give you information about industrial cyber security and how it can be improved.

Cyberattacks are divided into various categories like:-

• Malware attack- In this, the system gets corrupted by some malicious viruses sent by some attachments. It includes Trojan Horse, Adware, and Spyware.
• Phishing Attack- In this kind of attack the person generally gets some fraud emails that seem to come from a legitimate source. It is done to install some malware software or steal some sensitive data like bank details and login credentials.
• Worms- Worms are malicious malware that spread in the system by replicating themselves and then to other systems too by being active in the infected system.
• Ransomware- this malware attacks the computer and the user is restricted to have access to the system until the user pays the ransom.

Importance of Cybersecurity in Manufacturing and Industries

In 2020, it was found that the manufacturing industry is the second most industry to be a victim of cybercrime. Cybersecurity is very effective to implement in almost every industry. The hackers are getting innovative day by day and have never-ending tactics to secure our network. Industrial cybersecurity is much needed to get secure from the disruption of operational technology in any company.

Cybercriminals use malware to steal victims’ credentials, trick them into giving personal data, steal some financial data, corrupt the system to and steal their digital money. These attacks generally occur through electronic communication like email, bad network services, and text messages, and in physical form, it can be attacked by CD/DVD, pen drives, etc. 

Generally, the manufacturing industries are not concerned about cybersecurity as they think that they do not hold much consumer data. As the manufacturing industry is getting more interconnected with the supplier there is a lot of chance to be a victim of a cyberattack. Also in this industry, without tight cybersecurity, you might be a step behind your competitors. The transformation in technology has taken the industries to the next level but with that data is also getting vulnerable 

The things the manufacturing industry have that attracts the hackers are:-

• Trading secrets of the company
• Product designs 
• Customers data
• Assembly line procedure

Let us check out some basic reasons why cybersecurity is important in the manufacturing industry:-

• Rise of cybercrime- The presence of digitalization in businesses is making the market vulnerable than ever. There has been an immense boost up in cybercrime but to stay in the market you have to fight against the threats.
• Severe cyberattacks- Manufacturer is one of the most valuable targets and has a lot to lose. A cyberattack on a manufacturing industry can cause a lot of disruption in the data of the supply chain and loss of money. 
• Lack of cybersecurity experience- Industry 4.0 has just been adopted by a few manufacturers in the market and before that manufacturers did not think much about adapting cybersecurity in the company.

How to increase cybersecurity in Manufacturing Industries?

Industrial cybersecurity is much needed in every company, not even small-scale industries are immune to it. The beginning of digitalization in the industries helps them grow more and faster but with perks, they have to face cons, threats of cybercrime will also increase.

Some ways to increase cybersecurity in manufacturing industries are:-

• OT and IT- Earlier the manufacturing industries were keeping minimal contact with the digital world. Now the industry has begun to put their steps in the digital world the risks has also  
• Setup the data audit- Data audit helps in keeping the operational data of a manufacturing company. Data auditing means getting access to quality and the utility of a specific purpose.
• Segmentation of the data- Segmenting the data is one of the best ways to separate the data which is in the priority list and which is less. It will help the manufacturer to segment its data into smaller series and that will make it easy to identify the particular information needed. 

MOXA  Products

Moxa helps you secure your network with IT/OT integrated security. 

To eliminate the cyber threats against industrial networks, MOXA has boosted up its network security in Industrial cybersecurity. 

An intrusion prevention system (IPS) is an extension of an Intrusion detection system (IDS) and it blocks the malicious activity that was detected by the IDS. Basically, it prevents any attack based on malicious trafficking sent over a network and also records the detected threats.

Let us get a glimpse of some of MOXA’s products

• EDS-G4008 Series - it Series is equipped with 8 Gigabit Ethernet ports, making it ideal for upgrading an existing network to Gigabit speed or building a new full Gigabit backbone. Gigabit transmission speed increases bandwidth for higher performance and transfers large amounts of triple-play services across a network quickly. Redundant Ethernet technologies such as Turbo Ring, Turbo Chain, and RSTP/STP increase the reliability of your system and improve the availability of your network backbone. The EDS-G4008 Series is designed specifically for demanding applications such as video and process monitoring, ITS, and DCS systems, all of which can benefit from a scalable backbone construction.

• EDS-4014 Series - it is a range of 14-port managed Fast Ethernet switches with four 1 Gbps and two 2.5 Gbps fiber-optic ports. Redundant Ethernet technologies such as Turbo Ring, Turbo Chain, and RSTP/STP increase the reliability of your system and improve the availability of your network backbone. The EDS-4014 Series is designed specifically for demanding applications such as video and process monitoring, ITS, and DCS systems, all of which can benefit from a scalable backbone.
• Security Dashboard Console- SDC software is a centralized security platform and it monitors OT cyber threats to make sure there is uninterrupted production line operation. It reduces your maintenance cost by troubleshooting the security network. 

Conclusion 

The industrial cyber security threat is a major threat to any company involved in the production of goods. Not only is there a threat to the company, but to the customers as well. In the future, the industrial cyber security threat will continue to grow because of the increasing digitization of industrial control systems. In order to improve industrial cyber security, it is necessary to establish strong security that ensures the protection of industrial control systems from cyber-attacks.