September 2019

n NEWS NEWS n September 2019     www.drivesncontrols.com 12 MORETHANHALF of the cybersecurity incidents involving industrial networks last year were caused by errors or unintentional actions by company employees, according to a new survey of 282 industrial organisations around the world. A report based on the survey blames this phenomenon on the growing complexity of industrial infrastructures, a shortage of professionals who understand how to detect threats, and low levels of awareness among employees. The study was carried out by ARC Advisory Group on behalf of the cybersecurity company, Kaspersky. Six-in-ten (59%) of the companies surveyed reported that they had experienced cyber-incidents in the past 12 months – an increase from 49% in the previous year. Most of the incidents were in the form of conventional malware/virus attacks (81%), followed by targeted attacks (52%) and ransomware demands (48%).   The report – called State of Industrial Cybersecurity 2019 – suggests that that the increased use of intrusion detection systems may be exposing more cyber-incidents than were visible in the past.  Around 70% of companies surveyed regard attacks on their OT/ICS (operational technology / industrial control system) infrastructures as being likely. Their biggest concern about ICS attacks is potential injury or death of employees (cited by 78%), followed by damage to products and service quality (77%) and the loss of customer confidence (63%).  Ransomware attacks have overtakenmalware or viruses to become the biggest cyber-worry for companies. Those surveyed cited targeted attacks – also known as APTs (advanced persistent threats) – as their third-biggest concern. The report says that the nature of cyber-attacks is changing from undirected  attacks to targeted attacks that expose companies to loss or manipulation of control. The report gives the example of a metallurgy company that had to shut down for a week earlier this year following a ransomware attack. Its production downtime and system backup costs amounted to more than €50m. According to the report, digitalisation of industrial networks and the adoption of Industry 4.0 are a priority for many industrial companies, with 81% of the organisations surveyed saying they that regard network digitalisation as an important or very important task for this year. Almost half (41%) of the companies surveyed say they are ready to connect their OT/ICS networks to the cloud. “The growing interconnection between IIoT edge devices and cloud services continues to pose a security challenge,”says Dr Jesus Molina, who chairs the International Internet Consortium’s SecurityWorking Group, and is director of business development at Waterfall Security Solutions.“It was a major driver for the creation of the IIC Industrial Internet of Things Security Framework as well as the subsequent best practices documents and recent IoT Security Maturity Model.” Awareness of cyber-security issues is high among the companies surveyed with most of them (87%) reporting that OT/ICS cyber- security is becoming a top priority for them. But only just over half (57%) have allocated budgets for industrial cyber-security protective measures and for the professionals to implement them effectively. The organisations not only lack the cybersecurity experts with the right skills to protect their industrial networks, but they are also are worried that their OT/ICS network operators are not fully aware of behaviours that can lead to cybersecurity breaches. These are the companies’top two concerns relating to cyber-security management, and correlate with why so many ICS incidents can be attributed to employees allowing malware infections to occur or letting through targeted attacks. In almost half of the companies surveyed (45%), staff responsible for the security of IT infrastructures also oversee the security of OT/ ICS networks. Although operational and corporate networks are becoming increasingly connected, OT and ICS specialists often have different approaches to cyber-security. “This year's study shows that companies are seeking to improve protection for industrial networks,”says Kaspersky Industrial Cybersecurity’s brand manager, Georgy Shebuldaev.“However, this can only be achieved if they address the risks related to the lack of qualified staff and employee errors.” https://kas.pr/ics2019 More than half of network cyber- incidents are caused by employees THE MANUFACTURINGTECHNOLOGY Centre is setting up a satellite operation in Liverpool to support manufacturing growth and innovation in the area. The new facility, with a staff of more than 60, will be located at Liverpool Science Park (LSP) in Knowledge Quarter Liverpool (KQ Liverpool). For the past four years, the MTC has had a presence at Liverpool John Moores University, but following a significant expansion of its operations, it is moving to the larger 4,750ft 2 (440m 2 ) premises on the LSP campus. “We are excited to be expanding our footprint in Liverpool and broadening our services and support for the wider North West,”says Dr CharlieWhitford, the MTC’s associate director for strategic development. “We are looking forward to continuing our work with Liverpool John Moores, as well as working with the University of Liverpool and other regional stakeholders to help manufacturers in the NorthWest region stay competitive, improve product development and processes, and benefit fromnew technologies, taking academic research and translating it into innovative manufacturing solutions for industry.” MTC is planning a new laboratory for the LSP site that will allow businesses to test processes in a low-risk environment. Among other capabilities, it will specialise in measuring human physical and emotional responses and behaviour when working with technology and advancedmanufacturing. The MTC bridges the gap between university-based research and the development of innovative manufacturing systems, in line with the Government’s manufacturing strategy. It is part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, supported by Innovate UK. MTC announces a manufacturing support centre for Liverpool