Cyber security: The hidden facet of Industry 4.0

As a Trade Association it is our job to be at the forefront of technological advances within our sector and to advise our members appropriately. Over the past few years we’ve seen more and more of our members embrace Industry 4.0, the Internet of Things, Big Data and Cloud Computing. Whatever you might call it, the interconnectivity of machines and the fourth industrial revolution is upon us. 

But for all the advantages of increased automation and connectivity there are risks. One risk is cyber security and how to protect your business from an attack. Traditionally, attacks might come in the form of individuals trying to access sensitive data the company might hold. But, we now are seeing hackers trying to disrupt production and unauthorised access to sensitive systems. Advanced malware is another type of attack that is becoming common place in manufacturing – and is increasingly disruptive. This malicious software can infiltrate weak software and hardware, leading to mass disruption if it manages to spread to different systems within the business. 

Education

One of our academic partners, Cranfield University, is seeking to address these risks through the development of its new Cyber-Secure Masters course*. The MTA has advised the university on the course, which has a strong emphasis on applying knowledge in the industrial environment and all teaching is in the context of industrial application.  

Businesses need to be aware of the adverse effect of not having appropriate cyber security. Reputations can be damaged, levels of trust with clients can diminish and competitive advantages can be given away to rivals. This course addresses the main challenges in smart manufacturing, such as to:

• Identify cyber threats in manufacturing systems from cloud
• Protect manufacturing systems from cyber attacks
• Improve incident response and disaster recovery in manufacturing systems
• Assess the cost of cybersecurity solutions for manufacturing systems.

All manufacturing business who have adapted the smart manufacturing approach, need to have preventative measures in place to combat this. We are pleased to work alongside world leading institutions to battle this threat.

We have also added a new Zone to our MACH 2018 exhibition which is dedicated to Cyber security, focusing on companies supplying solutions and products in this emerging field. 

*  https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/courses/taught/cyber-secured-manufacturing-informatics