Cybersecurity

What is the impact and necessity of cybersecurity in Industry 4.0?

Industry 4.0 is the digital transformation and revolution of the old school industrial sector where the entire manufacturing processes are automated and real-time data are accessible using technologies like cyber-physical systems, Industrial Internet of Things, Big Data Analytics to help the industries and organizations make smarter, quicker and better decisions to increase optimization and maximize profit.

Computerization in the manufacturing industry is the chief cause of cybersecurity requirements in Industry 4.0. As cybercriminals are getting smarter day by day, by harnessing strategies of social engineering and artificial intelligence, the data, programs, and networks of the organizations and industries have become more prone to cyber-threats and attacks. With the continuous advent of more enhanced and efficient technologies and AI, cybersecurity systems like firewalls and anti-virus, are no longer enough.

• What is industry 4.0?

Industry 4.0 is the latest trend of manufacturing automation technologies and making the factories ‘smart’ by connecting different plants and factories to the internet. The chief upgraded technologies used are cyber physical-system, Industrial Internet of Things, Big Data Analytics, and Cloud computing to improve the efficiency, creativity, and productivity of the manufacturing and communicating processes with minimum errors. New business models for enterprises like FaaS (Factory-as-a-Service), are being introduced in Industry 4.0 as a result of using Cyber-physical. t also aims to increase the efficiency of the workforce by using automation.

• What is cybersecurity?

Cyber security is the process of securing the data, devices, programs, systems, and networks from any potential cyber threat of cyber-attack. It also involves the recovery of any loss or damages done to the computer systems or data. With the increasing dependability of technologies, the vulnerability of cyber security has risen manifolds, giving cybercriminals access to a plethora of unauthorized data. A cyber threat generates advantages from the vulnerability of a cybersecurity system in turn hurting it. An attack (cyber-attack) on the other hand either has the purpose of altering the system resources and harming the operating system or is designed as such to use up and learn and steal all the important information from the systems without any intention to change it. Thus to protect any sensitive data in this digital-technology-based world which is ever-increasing, cybersecurity is of utmost importance.

• Why does industry 4.0 require cybersecurity?

The manufacturing industries of Industry 4.0 uses Big Data Analytics to generate a huge volume of data, in a variety and high veracity from all the different aspects of an organization such as from production sectors, suppliers, clients, consumers, and factories. Although the use of such Big Data adds immense value and advancement to Industry 4.0, the threats and challenges it faces cannot be dismissed. The protection, privacy, accessibility, and storing of these data becomes a major cybersecurity challenge. Data theft or leak could result in huge losses in not only one but a chain of industries, factories, clients, and even small businesses. Data breaches include personally identifiable information, trade secrets, and various other targets of industrial espionage.

The communication in these industries takes place over the internet following certain protocols like Internet Protocol and Transmission Control Protocol, which are again extremely prone to cyber-attacks like Man-in-the-Middle attacks.

• Future in IoT?

The Internet of Things (IoT) has improved the connectivity and communication between various systems, services, and organizations, by relying heavily on Internet, which in turn causes a discrepancy in its safety issues. The highly scalable nature of the Internet of Things (IoT) indicates very efficient and sophisticated protocols and frameworks to defend itself from potentially harmful threats.

Thus improved methods and strategies should be implemented by cybersecurity systems like Third-Party risk Management to reduce common attack vectors and ransomware. Data breaches if left unattended can provide cybercriminals access to many important, secret or personal data thus software such as intrusion detection and anti-malware software should be put into action. The staff members and employees should have adequate knowledge about such dangerous attacks and threats and thus should be given education but not any cyber training which can then again adversely affect the industry and business.

Industry 4.0 has several loopholes, due to the inexplicable use of the internet and therefore the security of their data should be their top priority. Many industries within Industry 4.0 are investing enormously in preventive approaches to allow more effective and capable cybersecurity systems, protocols, and workforce to keep in check and track access control, authentication, and privacy.

Conclusion:

Industries and companies should stop searching for reasons to implement cybersecurity and should start increasing the use and upgrading cybersecurity, especially in Industries 4.0, which seemingly will only flourish in the coming decades.