The Challenges of Security in an Increasingly Connected Cyber-Physical World
The rise of robotics, automation, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industry 4.0 enabling technologies are changing the status quo of modern manufacturing systems and global supply chains. These technologies fuel a new wave of productivity and efficiency improvements through a connected mesh of cyber-physical systems.
The interconnected nature of these systems also increases the attack surface for potential malicious activity. As cyber-physical systems continue to evolve, the threats associated with malicious attacks are not limited to information technology (IT) resources. Malicious actors are increasingly targeting operational technology (OT) resources with attacks that impact the physical assets of a system.
In recent years, several high-level data breaches involving consumer personal information have marked the headlines. While these cyberattacks are cause for concern, they are only one type of threat that manufacturing systems and supply…
