We all know that Cybersecurity is paramount to ensuring the continuous operation of any business in today’s digital world, and responding to any type of cybersecurity incident at some point is only question of when. To safeguard your manufacturing operations from cyber threats, it's essential to assess your readiness and response capabilities regularly. One effective tool for this is the tabletop exercise. In this post, I'll explain what tabletop exercises are and why they're vital to the preparedness of any manufacturing organizations to respond to an incident.

The Internet of Things (IoT) continues to transform the way we approach manufacturing, but it also brings increased risks of cyberattacks.  With the growing volume of IoT devices and sensors, the potential attack surface for manufacturers grows with it, as does the amount of data needed to protect.  In this blog post, we will delve into IoT attacks, highlight why manufacturers need to be vigilant, and provide actionable steps manufacturers can take to safeguard themselves against these evolving threats.

If you’ve read the news lately, you’ve probably heard that Artificial Intelligence tools powered by language models like ChatGPT are taking the world by storm and have the potential to revolutionize the ways we all work, especially in the manufacturing industry. Manufacturers are increasingly exploring the potential of AI tools to enhance their operations and gain a competitive edge. In today’s article, we will embark on an exploration of ChatGPT and delve into the ways in which manufacturers can harness the power of AI to elevate their business processes. We will also emphasize the paramount importance of data security and privacy, ensuring that manufacturers can leverage AI tools responsibly and safely.

What is a “watering hole” attack and how do I prevent it from happening to my company?

A watering hole attack targets a specific company by infecting their website with malware which proceeds to then further infect everyone that visits your website.  The attackers essentially use your website as a distribution mechanism to inject malware into as many of your website viewer's computers as possible, with the goal of stealing information or extracting ransom payments.  Manufacturing companies are particularly vulnerable to watering hole attacks because they often rely on supply chain partners and subcontractors who may not have the same level of security measures in place.  These attacks can compromise your sensitive information and/or intellectual property, and can also disrupt your operations.

A Denial of Service (DoS) attack is a type of cyber-attack that attempts to make a website, online service or computer network unavailable by overwhelming it with a flood of traffic or requests, causing it to crash or become extremely slow and unresponsive.. It can be targeted at a single system or an entire network, and can range from minor disruption or slowness to a complete shut down.  

Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD, has become an important technology topic over the past ten years as mobile devices have increased their capability and sophistication.  But how should your company deal with employees using their personal devices for work?  What company services do you allow employees to connect to from their personal devices, and what should you restrict to only corporate-issued computers?  The answer is: it depends! 

Business email compromise (BEC) is a type of online scam where a cybercriminal tricks a company or its employees into transferring money or sensitive information to the fraudster's account.

BEC attacks can be very convincing, as the fraudsters often spend time researching their targets, and they may use language and tactics that make the emails seem legitimate. These types of attacks can cause significant financial losses for businesses and individuals, so it's important to be cautious when receiving any email that requires you to provide sensitive information or perform financial transactions.

Recently there have been a number of critical and zero-day vulnerabilities that have been announced in the news across several platforms.  Whether for personal or business use, Apple or Microsoft, or for servers, laptop, mobile devices, or HMIs; this is a great time of year to check for updates and apply any open patches or hotfixes for known vulnerabilities. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a joint cybersecurity advisory regarding cyber threats from ransomware.

Does your organization have a defined incident management or problem management process?  If not, it may be a good idea to spend some time formally defining your incident management process and plan for how your technology and cybersecurity teams respond to incidents.