Today’s fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0, which is a fusion of digital and physical systems, is giving rise to a rapidly growing smart manufacturing ecosystem. The manufacturing sector has already begun nurturing ‘smart factories’ and in some cases “Dark Factories” across automotive, consumer goods, energy, and biopharma, among other industries, by embracing automation, AI, industrial internet of things (IIoT), and several digital technological innovations. This convergence of Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT) has driven smart factories to establish unprecedented levels of automation, predictive maintenance, and rapid production. Although this potential to enhance efficiency, reduce costs and inventory, and deliver product optimization benefits the organization immensely, it comes with a significant rise in cybersecurity risks. Manufacturing is among the top sectors vulnerable to cyberattacks due to the huge amounts of sensitive data it holds, but it is often seen as lagging in terms of cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity challenges in modern OT environments
Industry 4.0 technologies such as IIoT, cloud computing, AI, and machine learning. edge computing, digital twin, big data and analytics, addictive manufacturing, and autonomous robots have dramatically increased the interconnectivity as well as the attack surface, giving rise to cybersecurity challenges.
Legacy System Integration
Several manufacturers continue to rely on end of life support software, outdated firewalls, and patch management for silo networks. These legacy defenses are not designed for IT and OT networks that depend on the same digital environment. The organizations are unable to detect cybersecurity threats as they were not built with modern security protocols, making them vulnerable to cyberattacks when integrated with new digital systems. This is driving the manufacturing organizations to exfiltrate sensitive information, causing significant damage to their operations, revenues, and reputation. The disruption can cascade through the supply chain, causing delays across. Stealing product designs and manufacturing processes of the manufacturer can create a dent in the organization’s competitive edge.
Complexities with IT-OT Convergence
The integration of IT and OT with the Industry 4.0 initiatives gives rise to benefits such as real-time data insights while enhancing their efficiency and effectiveness, leading to better decision-making and operations. However, poor segmentation between the two networks can create pathways for attackers to move laterally from IT systems that are compromised into critical OT assets, increasing the complexity in the manufacturing ecosystem.
Insufficient Logging and Monitoring
Several factories lack unified visibility across OT networks, where vulnerabilities and anomalies cannot be identified, and these are early signs of compromise. Only complete network visibility can ensure effective OT security. The absence of defense against threats can lead to devastating consequences, negatively impacting production uptime, regulatory compliance, revenues, and worker safety.
Against this backdrop, where interoperability between virtual and physical systems is enabled, the expanded attack surface must be addressed and reduced for a successful Industry 4.0 journey.
Building a new approach for OT security for Industry 4.0
Manufacturing industries require a comprehensive end-to-end approach addressing all aspects of people, technology, and processes to combat growing cyber threats. The OT security best practices include,
Adopting Zero Trust Architecture
In the manufacturing setup, which is defined by aging machinery, complex networks, and growing threats that are both internal and external, the best solution for stronger defense is by embracing the zero-trust model. This is based on the principle of “never trust, always verify”, where every connection and access is scrutinized before giving permission. Remote and third-party access is secured by implementing least-privileged access policies and replacing outdated virtual private networks (VPNs). Continuous monitoring and logging of all remote access activities is critical.
Implementing Network Segmentation
This process involves the process of isolating industrial control systems and other critical OT assets from each other and from the IT networks as well. This reduces the attack surface significantly because attackers accessing one part of the network cannot penetrate to other segments, ensuring no lateral movement to other systems, production lines, and controllers, reducing the damage and downtime. By segmenting internal systems from those of supply chain partners, organizations can contain third-party risks and prevent a compromise in a partner’s network from propagating into their own.
Patch Managed Customized to OT
OT and industrial control systems (ICS) environments present challenges for securing the systems with patches. This can be due to legacy systems running for a long time without updates, a lack of specialized expertise to handle patch implementation, the presence of visibility gaps, vendor constraints, and downtime restrictions. To succeed in securing the systems, patch management should be done effectively. An effective OT patch management process includes establishing an OT Asset inventory, clearly identifying all vulnerabilities, applying the right patches to the right assets, then reviewing, managing, testing, and validating patches thoroughly.
OT Security Governance and Training
It is important to distinguish between IT and OT security while ensuring the safety of the plant. Team leads and their teams responsible for OT security are to be identified and their duties assigned. Clear governance frameworks that align with cybersecurity with safety, and compliance standards must be established. Employees who are authorized to access IT and OT assets should be provided with appropriate security training. OT engineers and plant operations team members have to be trained on proactive defense, incident response, and should know how to implement all best practices effortlessly for digital operations. Stringent identity and access management protocols should be in place at all times. All employees, third-party contractors, and other associates who have access to sensitive information at the manufacturing unit should be vetted regularly, with guests who visit the plant monitored.
Manufacturing organizations should establish structured, layered, and proactive risk management strategies to safeguard their assets from cyberattacks as they leverage OT-IT convergence. In doing so, they are not only securing their smart factories but building the much-needed trust and competitive edge in today’s digital manufacturing or Industry 4.0 era.
Smart Manufacturing Under Threat: OT Security in the Industry 4.0 Age
By: Pritam Shah, Global Practice Head – OT Security and Data Security, Inspira Enterprise
