Smart factories are examples of how the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is transforming conventional production. Manufacturing companies already have a fundamental concept of what smart factories are, what they can do, and what the benefits and difficulties of creating them are. Significant expenditure is needed for a major shift to be made to accommodate technological advancements like smart factories and getting the most value out of that investment is crucial. Reassessing their security, vulnerabilities, and other risks and threats to digital data can be an excellent place for integrators to start.
The advantages of a smart factory, such as real-time data monitoring, supply-chain management, and predictive maintenance, can be negated by a single cyberattack. Therefore, security must not be neglected as the organizations advance. Reported assaults on IIoT systems not only serve as a reminder of the real risks in this area but also act as case studies to better understand the types of threats against the IIoT.
These examples show the impact of potential harm and attack on industrial control systems (ICSs) and the repercussions on smart factory systems, specifically supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems. Given the prior attacks on crucial facilities, large-scale repercussions are possible depending on the target. Threat actors who target these systems are still developing new tools for upcoming operations. A little over half (51 percent) of industrial businesses believe that cyberattacks on smart factories will probably increase over the course of the following year, according to a survey by the Capgemini Research Institute.
More significantly, 47 percent of manufacturers claimed that cybersecurity in smart factories is currently not a C-level concern, and that is a significant issue, especially given that only a few firms, according to a report by the Capgemini Research Institute, have developed practices relating to "the fundamental pillars of cybersecurity." In other words, even though awareness exists, there is a lack of preparation. A sizable percentage of businesses (51 percent) claimed that their partner and vendor networks are where most smart factory cyber threats come from (Capgemini Research Institute, June 30, 2022).
As stated in the survey conducted by Capgemini Research Institute, the benefits of digital transformation make manufacturers want to invest heavily in smart factories, but efforts could be undone in the blink of an eye if cybersecurity is not baked-in from the offset.
Challenges Faced by the Smart Industries
Vulnerability Exploitation
The system of a smart factory consists of a vast array of items connected to a single network. Any one of those devices' flaws might expose the system to a variety of attacks. In fact, the worm Stuxnet, which spread through specific flaws, served as an illustration of this. Because Stuxnet targeted crucial infrastructures, it garnered attention. Successfully exploited campaigns highlight the importance of good security procedures like routine patching.
Deploying Malware
Attacks in the past demonstrate that threat actors most frequently employ malware deployment. ICS can be compromised by malware deployed on the industrial network, as was the case with BlackEnergy and Killdisk. Because it was designed to trick industrial safety systems and shut down an industrial plant's activities, the trojan Triton was notable. Recently, it was discovered that threat actors had attacked a water plant in Europe using software that mined cryptocurrencies.
Denial-of-Service (DoS) and Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attacks
A DoS cyberattack aims to shut down or deactivate a network, device, or resource. DDoS is like DoS in that it targets the connection or processor of a target system by using a large number of infected devices (bots)—a botnet. For instance, several well-known websites and online services were shut down by the IoT botnet Mirai. It did not significantly impact the industrial sector, but it showed the effectiveness and effects of a DDoS attack. With its source code available and the emergence of DDoS-as-a-Service providers, it is not impossible that DDoS attacks on IIoT infrastructure and smart factories will proliferate in the future. Additionally, compromised ICSs might wind up being used by a botnet to launch attacks against other businesses.
Surveillance and Information Theft
Attackers might also employ a covert strategy in their campaigns by stealing data or keeping watch over vulnerable systems. For instance, customer databases may be exposed by human-machine interfaces (HMI), and an attacker may steal personally identifiable information (PII). Exposure to ICS in crucial industries and other sectors could pose this concern as well as cascading effects. Threat actors can steal information on equipment behavior from measurements and data typically acquired by their sensors necessary for the factory's autonomous functions by gaining unauthorized access to a network. Such network attacks highlight the value of effective intrusion detection and prevention systems.
Device Hacking
The value of each linked device to overall security is not diminished by the number of connected devices inside or outside the factory floor. An attacker can use one compromised device to distribute malware or gain access to the entire industrial network. They can even tamper with the actual gadgets if they have physical access. The tampered devices might then be made to transmit inaccurate data to the rest of the network or simply malfunction, affecting the remainder of the production line.
What Can Be Done to Improve Security in Smart Factories?
One of the main methods potential attackers use to infiltrate a network still is phishing. When phishing URLs or attachments are opened, keylogging software is installed to record what is written, including any indications that a login and password have recently been entered (yes, they can spy on your keyboard). Once they have that information, an attacker can access your network and go through other accounts and directories. Even if hackers gain access to your company's office computers, they might still be able to enter the networked portions of your facility that manage the production equipment. It's all related, as we already stated.
Employ firewalls to protect any computers linked to the Internet from your local network. Some hackers constantly search the Internet for unsecured networks in search of access points, and if they locate one, it only takes a little bit of searching to uncover the appropriate paths. Remember that the best setup is only as strong as those who use it. This means for all the advanced computing power, security protections, anti-virus software, and cyber hygiene policies that companies put in place, the weakest link in data security is consistently human beings.
Smart Factory Security Outcomes
The majority of smart manufacturing systems are still relatively closed systems, despite the drive toward integration and interconnection. The benefit of this "closed world" security architecture is that there are slim odds that traditional mass attacks will target a smart factory. The most significant disadvantage is that a single security flaw might allow an attacker to successfully access a machine in the factory: In that instance, the assault can spread to the rest of the network because the network is built on the premise that "what's within is trusted."
Therefore, less obvious attack paths can have real-world repercussions after exploitation, even in settings where any machine is typically regarded as "trusted." The machines must advance toward a more compartmentalized security architecture for better protection.
