In recent years, a surge of cybersecurity attacks has been witnessed across multiple industries. Gone are the days when only IT companies were the targets of sophisticated hackers. Businesses have realized the need for industrial control systems cyber security lately due to the active and continuous threat they are subjected to. Organizations engaged in manufacturing have been a frequent target for these hackers and have suffered extensively because of such attacks. Several industries have adopted industrial control security systems to keep threats at bay and run their operations without hassle.
The threat is very real and causes several issues, such as installing malware, ransomware, and intellectual property theft. With a highly connected digital world in existence, it’s not a very tough job for hackers to infiltrate a manufacturing unit’s Cyberspace and shut down operations. In several cases, it has been found that the hackers have been successful in altering the programming of equipment and causing them to produce defective products.
Let us have a look at some of the real-time threats that industrial units can encounter if they don’t have a potent security system.
Identity Theft
Identity theft is one of the most common yet dreaded forms of cybersecurity breaches. When hackers gain access to the Social Security number of individuals, they can use it for obtaining large amounts of credits and even loans. This will end up putting the person’s financial status at risk. In the case of the industrial sector, the extensive database of customers is the potential target of hackers who can use malware to gain access to. This is a serious problem as loyal customers’ sensitive information will be in hackers’ hands. Imagine what would happen to the reputation of a company that cannot protect its clients’ data.
Phishing
Phishing is another common cyber-crime affecting the industrial sector. Hackers create custom emails and send them to the company’s clients or employees to obtain sensitive information. The emails are sent by using the email IDs of the highest authorities of a company, such as the CEO, thus giving it a very authentic look.
The revelation of such sensitive information can land the victims in serious financial and non- financial troubles. It is essential to build a reliable defense mechanism through industrial control systems cyber security to keep such misfortunes at bay.
Industrial Espionage
In a highly competitive business environment, it is only natural that corporations will use sophisticated tech-based espionage techniques to get vital information about their competitors and their clients. Imagine if you have developed a unique product in a specific domain that is seriously affecting your competitors’ sales. Will they take it lightly?.
It is common to spy on the manufacturing techniques and formulas of competitors, and you can be a victim. To protect the vital information regarding the process of production, you must install Industrial control security systems. It will help you keep your valuable research-related information secure and won’t let your competitors get their hands on it.
Compromised Web Pages
Websites are an essential part of modern business operations and are a potential target for hackers who want to take control. Upon gaining access to the website, hackers can obtain information regarding your clients, business partners, and prospective leads. Every website has a contact point that can be changed by potential hackers. The use of data mining tools is quite common to target company websites, and without an efficient defense system, you won’t be able to keep your website secure.
Malware
We all get spam messages in our emails once in a while and find it annoying. These same spam messages can disrupt normal business operations, costing them dearly in time, money, and overall productivity. Spams on official employee emails are often not detected by the employees who take it for a potential lead. It can lead to providing access to sinister malware that can quickly spread all over the system and create trouble.
With these threats roaming around the online space, the companies need to keep themselves up to date on the security front. This is the reason why industrial control systems cyber security has become an essential part of business operations. Outsourcing security operations to experts can put the burden of the security department away for companies, and most of them prefer it that way.