Plant protection against industrial cyber attacks Cyber attacks – the danger from the Web
By Philip Taylor Regional Sales Manager, Industrial Communications, Siemens Thailand
36 | Asia Pacific Security Magazine
Every networked device is a potential target for cyber attacks – it can be your personal computer at home or industrial devices at production facilities. For businesses, cyber attacks would affect operations and potentially cause huge loss of income. In fact, in Asia Pacific, cyber attacks have caused businesses to lose revenues amounting to $81.3 billion in 2015, according to a professional services company Grant Thornton. It seems that company decision makers are aware of this threat, as evidenced by a study conducted by market intelligence company IDC, which suggests that worldwide investment in software to fend off cyber attacks will increase to more than $100 billion by 2020. This represents an increase of about 38% from the previously predicted total of $73.7 billion for 2016. Asia Pacific (excluding Japan) is expected to be the fastest growing region in terms of investments, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.8 per cent. To comprehensively protect plants, systems, machines, and networks against cyber attacks, all levels must be addressed – from operating to field, from access control to networks, terminal equipment, and copy protection. Additionally, with increased adoption of digitalization in manufacturing
processes, a holistic and customized approach to industrial security system is crucial to ensure that businesses are secure at all levels against the threat of cyber attacks. Plant security as the foundation With the recent increased cases of cyber attacks happening all around the world, more countries are now taking extra precautionary measures. In Singapore, the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act (CMCA) was recently amended with changes that require operators of critical information infrastructure to take proactive steps to protect their systems and networks. For the manufacturing industry, plant security, which creates the foundation and ensures that technical protective measures cannot be circumvented, includes physical access protection measures such as fences, cameras, and card readers. These are supplemented by organizational measures, in particular a security management process that ensures plant security over the long term. To make an informed decision on which measures make sense, the risks should first be analyzed. In this context, factors of consideration include the probability of occurrence as well as the extent of damage the risk could cause. The results of the risk analysis are then used to establish security goals, which