ISMR March 2022 | Page 48

FOCUS ON DIGITALISATION

“ In a smart factory , how should security and systems ’ safety be properly addressed ?”

SMART SENTINELS

How do manufacturers protect themselves from cyberattacks ? The cybersecurity issue has become even more pressing as the industry addresses digitalisation , says the Bystronic Group .

By
Alberto Martínez ,
Chief Digital Officer ( CDO ) and Head of Competence Centre Software Service , Bystronic Group .

It is 8am on just another Tuesday morning . A member of a sheet metal processing jobshop ’ s sales team turns on his computer . As he drinks his first cup of coffee , he checks his emails , opens what looks like a quotation request from a customer and clicks on the attachment . The ransomware immediately kicks in and , in just a few minutes , all the files on the company ’ s server have been encrypted and can no longer be accessed . In the very best of cases , this results in several hours of downtime .

Many companies are extremely hesitant when it comes to introducing the industrial internet of things ( IIoT ) or cloud systems because they believe that this will open the door to cybercriminals . However , they do not realize that they are already facing this danger daily . A simple email with an attachment or a link can result in the encryption of all the information on a server . You are at risk even if you have not implemented an entire ecosystem connecting customers and suppliers . It is therefore essential to be aware of the threats and be ready to quickly respond in the event of an attack .
Cybersecurity is currently on everyone ’ s lips . There have been many widely publicised cases recently of large companies falling victim to cyberattacks that compromised their operations in one way or another . In some of these cases , it was revealed that the
Bystronic ’ s vision of a smart factory .
A simple email with an attachment or a link can result in the encryption of all the information on a server
48 | sheetmetalplus . com | ISMR March 2022