Safeguarding Comprehensively the Digital Thread from Beginning to End
While automation, Internet of Things (IoT), and cloud computing streamline operations and boost efficiency, they also expose manufacturers to an amplifying array of cyber threats. Recent unprecedented cyberattacks on industrial giants like Mondelez International, Clorox, Bridgestone Americas, Johnson Controls International PLC, Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, Colonial Pipeline, Applied Materials Inc., Norsk Hydro and JBS Foods Canada[1], alongside with data breaches and massive financial losses, serve as stark reminders that no manufacturer is immune to such attacks by hackers. In order for manufacturers to protect their operations, data, assets, clients and reputation, they must adopt a holistic approach to cybersecurity, addressing vulnerabilities across all domains. This is why the subject matter of this June 2024 Newsletter revolves, among others, around strategies to secure the manufacturing industry’s digital infrastructure.
Before digging deeper into our subject matter, let us briefly circumscribe the basic meaning of the term “manufacturing industry”. In a broad denotation, manufacturing refers to any industry that makes products out of raw materials by the use of manual labor or machinery and that is usually performed systematically through a structured division of labor[2]. Commonly designated as Industry 4.0, the 4th Industrial Revolution is unquestionably heralding an era of tremendous potential for innovation and growth in the manufacturing industry. Nevertheless, it is also bringing new risks and challenges. This is most evident in today’s manufacturing cyber landscape. Henceforth, cybersecurity in the manufacturing industry refers to the practices and controls that manufacturers implement in order to protect sensitive information and ensure the security, integrity, confidentiality and availability of data within their networks, systems and industrial processes.
