1/5 manufacturing staff involved in cyber breaches
Manufacturing is at high risk from cybercrime and a new report from Impero Software suggests one-in-five manufacturing staff have been involved in a breach while at work.
The report found that more than a quarter of respondents lack the confidence to recognise and report cybersecurity threats, yet more than half use their personal devices to access company systems or sensitive work-related information.
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Breaches can range from relatively minor, where data is stolen, to major events which can result in processes and supply chains being ground to a halt.
Cyberattacks are often done purely for monetary gain, as a 2020 Verizon report indicates.
In all, 400 manufacturing employees were quizzed about cybersecurity as part of Impero's research, which found that 24% of the companies that respondents were part of did not have a strict security policy for the use of personal devices at work.
On average, an employee may access company data on a personal device four times a week, employee data three times a week and customer data twice a week. Without a solid security detail or plan in place, each access leaves them open to a cyberattack, which could lead to data being stolen.
A loss of customer data could shake trust in a firm, and a loss of company data could cause severe damage to operations.
In general, the availability of cybersecurity infrastructure shows significant room for improvement, the report states.
Only around half of respondents reported having access to critical security tools such as secure remote access, virtual private networks (VPNs) or authentication processes with multiple stages.
“Although many think of manufacturing as more analogue-driven, this is simply not the case anymore. The modern manufacturing environment is underpinned by a complex and often diverse network of connected devices, from cloud-based data storage systems to automated assembly solutions and, increasingly, AI and robotics," Impero CEO Justin Reilly said.
"While important for the sector’s evolution, this proliferation of devices has made it especially vulnerable to malicious attacks. Without adequate training to help staff spot and react to cyber threats, or clear device security policies and tools in place, many manufacturers will be left exposed to significant risk," he added.
Cybersecurity threats continue to evolve and become more dangerous with each passing day. To deal with this, companies must keep their systems up-to-date.
Back in May 2021, Industry Europe spoke with Ian Bramson from ABS Consulting about this very topic and how best to protect operational technology in the evolving tech landscape.
Read more: Operational cybersecurity and the new industrial frontier
Many of the parts that make industry run are all interconnected which means that one breach can potentially place an entire company at risk.
With the advent of concepts such as Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things, as data and businesses become more interconnected, the potential threat only rises.
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