As innovative technologies are armed by cybercriminals, industrial companies must adopt a multi-layered approach that anticipates cyberattacks and protects critical assets before they are exploited, says Tim Grieveson, AVEVA’s Chief Information Security Officer.
The exponential development of computing devices has expanded access capabilities for cybercriminals to detect and exploit vulnerabilities in innovative ways. With a mid-grade smartphone now more powerful than the more advanced computers were just a few years ago, cybercriminals can launch powerful and sophisticated attacks at relatively low cost from a mobile unit while also working from home.
That ease of access somehow explains why there is a cyberattack every 39 seconds. As industrial organizations embrace digitization, inadequate security protection can open their systems to malicious actors. Today, criminals use a wide variety of methods, from commonly used techniques such as phishing and password hacking to more sophisticated operations, such as watering holes attacks, that deliver malware to visitors.
Increasingly, the same innovative technology that is used to deliver solutions for the common good is being deployed in destructive ways to inflict catastrophic damage to infrastructure, business systems and ultimately the public.
Two sides of the same coin
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is just one example of a dual-use experience. While technology has already improved business operations in many ways, AI is already being used as a weapon for illicit profit.
Attackers can attempt to control the data sets that train the AI, for example by subtly altering parameters or modifying scenarios to avoid detection of underlying data exploits. Similarly, pattern recognition can be used to identify access points for injectables for remote execution at a later date, or even to improve social engineering by targeting workers at their most vulnerable moments. A simple mention on a social media website about network maintenance could alert cybercriminals to a potential weakness.
At the same time, AI can also be deployed for protection. The best line of defense is usually to retaliate in the same way. AI is already being adopted in data analysis and network monitoring, where it is used to determine a baseline of normal behavior and identify inconsistencies of different kinds, such as unusual traffic patterns or anomalous server access. As the algorithm learns and progresses, predictive analytics can be implemented to detect such intrusions early on, while implementing defensive responses and triggering supervisory alarms.
As technologies like AI rapidly evolve to integrate into the industrial passageway, cybersecurity issues will continue to be a key area of concern. Security professionals must assume that AI and other technologies can and will be used for criminal gain. Global cybercrime is expected to inflict US$6 trillion in total damage this year, increasing to US$10.5 trillion annually by 2025. A significant percentage of those attacks are likely to affect industrial organizations. A comprehensive approach that anticipates and predicts cyberattacks can protect organizations from security problems.
For industrial organizations on the road to digitization, cybersecurity issues can be addressed in three important ways, through a combination of intelligent design, cloud computing and Machine Learning.
Integrate security into all software solutions – Cybersecurity must be at the forefront of digitized processes and must be integrated into any solution that is deployed across the enterprise. Industrial software solutions must incorporate security protection throughout the system design and development process, from inception through rigorous testing and validation to eliminate any vulnerabilities and comprehensively address cybersecurity challenges.
Automated software updates – Process interruptions and downtime need to be eliminated to maintain operational continuity, especially as industrial organizations embrace remote operations as well. Keeping your security infrastructure up-to-date fixes critical vulnerabilities and fortifies industrial assets against cybercriminals. Automated updates equip industrial IT infrastructure with the latest security capabilities and bypass conventional barriers to software adoption, in the process, empowering industries to take advantage of leading technologies and respond quickly to changing market demands.
Deploy Artificial Intelligence technology against cyberthreats: Tools like the Unified Operations Center (UOC), AVEVA’s market-leading performance management tool, can easily combine IT and OT products for enhanced cybersecurity protection. By using Machine Learning and AI to provide a centralized view of systems across the enterprise, decision-making is streamlined so that even the smallest anomaly is caught early, long before it can become something larger and more harmful.
As technologies evolve and cybercriminals abuse them for illicit profit, traditional one-size-fits-all approaches are no longer sufficient to protect organizations. Instead, companies must adopt a systematic, multi-layered approach that anticipates cyberattacks and protects data and other critical assets before they are exploited.
