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With ongoing attacks occurring via IIoT, digitalization and AI, more and more workers at all levels – from security practitioners to OT users – need training to understand what they should or should not do.

It is easy to think a main control system is secure in a brownfield or greenfield facility. After all, with all the design requirements and connections coming into the DCS, vendors have that all figured out way ahead of time. But what about the packaged systems – or skids – that connect to main system? How secure are they?

Facing a serious crunch of safety experts leaving the manufacturing industry and not enough coming in to fill the void, and add in a complex and more connected digital environment, the sector could use a technological boost. Artificial intelligence could be the answer.

We are going through an advancing digital age, no one can deny that. Data is coming at workers from all directions. There is great knowledge in that data, but who has the time to sort through it, after all, we have to keep making product and keep the process moving safe and sound. For safety and functional safety, manufacturers need to manage data and be able to identify trends to understand all levels of risk. That is where safety services can come into play

It’s a fact, manufacturing as a whole is losing more and more workers every day. Now add to that the rise in experienced safety professionals getting ready to retire and leave the industry, it is easy to fear that exodus of quality experience. But the key questions are can companies fill the roles? And who or what will take on the safety duties.

When it comes to cybersecurity it has always been about what threats are you facing, or what kinds of vulnerabilities are imminent. Threats and vulnerabilities are something you need to be aware of and protect against, the reality is if you don’t know the consequence or if there is no consequence from a threat, then why bother protecting against it. A consequence-based cyber risk management approach is vital for protecting OT and ICSes across the board.

It is a tried and true scenario in the industrial environment, where Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition or SCADA systems can run for 20, 30, even 40 years. With these aging, but productive legacy systems created before cybersecurity was even a thought, it is hard to imagine how anyone can protect them. There has got to be a better way.

Use of removable media in the industrial sector today is continuing to grow and it is just as vulnerable now as it has been over the past five to ten years. A new report is out that analyzes USB-borne malware and some of the results are very interesting.

People, process and technology are three critical components to any security program. When they all are working and in sync, everything comes together in a perfect harmony – and systems stay safe and secure and up and running.

To create a secure manufacturing enterprise, you need to apply defense in depth. That means at a very basic level, if a threat actor is able to get through one level of defense, there are plenty more for them to wade through. A solid defense in depth program can truly halt an attack or really slow it down.

Most industrial firms lack a firm foundation of cybersecurity protection. Bad actors are on the rise and are constantly revising their attack tactics. Learn the best way to start a new journey along the ISA/IEC 62443 protection pathway.

Managed security services. Years ago, the mere thought of an outside organization watching over a manufacturing enterprise and ensuring the site was free and clear and not under attack would have been considered outrageous. Throw in increased connectivity and a shortage of cybersecurity talent and managed security services is a cost-effective way to secure your site.

There is no doubt the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack was a watershed incident for the oil and gas sector. As a result, the Transportation Security Administration released a prescriptive set of regulations for owners and operators of pipelines and LNG facilities which were very rigid. Then in July last year, after great consternation from the industry, a more flexible set of regulations released and now this July, another set of regulations released. Just what is the impact of the TSA Pipeline Security Directive on the Oil & Gas sector.

Manufacturing’s mantra these days is everyone needs to keep the process moving – and that means security can’t get in the way. But at the same time, you want to make sure you keep the bad guys out. No easy task. Add on top of that, an expanding attack surface due to digitalization and a lack of qualified security professionals available and you have the potential for the classic low hanging fruit for attackers. That is exactly where managed security services comes in.

There is no doubt attacks are becoming more targeted and more sophisticated toward OT, which means companies need to think how they can find an attack and remain as resilient as possible so they can keep operating. This way you don’t have to hear a company say they had to “shut down operations out of an abundance of caution.”