In manufacturing, keeping your production line running smoothly and safely is the top priority. Your IT team plays an important role in making sure that new technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing enable efficiency and revenue without putting the business at risk.
This blog covers:
- The main cybersecurity challenges in manufacturing for IT teams.
- Opportunities to simultaneously maximize efficiency and create opportunities for new revenue.
- Key areas to focus on to improve security and protect your operations.
Key Cybersecurity Challenges in Manufacturing
Securing Industrial Control Systems
Industrial Control Systems (ICS) are the backbone of your manufacturing operations. When ICS was first introduced into manufacturing, many companies made the mistake of placing these systems on the same network as users, servers, and the internet. This created serious industrial cybersecurity risks, exposing important systems to attacks from both inside and outside the company.
Industrial Network Security through Segmentation
To protect your ICS, they need to be on a separate, isolated network. Your ICS should not share a network with your servers, users, or the internet. By segmenting your networks in this way, you limit access to these essential systems, making it much harder for a threat actor to infiltrate.
Developing a Strong Cybersecurity Strategy
Securing your ICS involves more than just network segmentation. It requires a strong cybersecurity plan that addresses all possible risks. This plan should include:
- Identifying and listing all ICS assets.
- Checking for vulnerabilities.
- Prioritizing actions to fix issues.
- Implementing security controls and best practices for cybersecurity in manufacturing.
- Continuously monitoring for any unusual or harmful activities.
Continuous Monitoring
Regular monitoring of your ICS is key to spotting unusual activities that could signal a cybersecurity threat. By watching your systems closely, you can detect security breaches before they turn into serious problems.
This proactive monitoring is part of a broader incident response plan that prepares your team to act quickly and effectively if an attack occurs, reducing potential damage and downtime.
Securing Cloud and IoT Data in Manufacturing
Today’s manufacturing plants aren’t just mechanical—they’re digital. With machinery connected to the cloud and the Internet of Things (IoT), the potential for efficiency gains is huge. But so is the risk of unauthorized access. Cloud security in manufacturing is vital, and IT teams must put in place strong cybersecurity solutions for manufacturing to protect these technologies.
Here are a few examples of incidents related to IoT:
- Data Breaches: In 2019, a major aerospace manufacturer suffered a data breach that exposed personal and financial details of over 100,000 employees. These common cybersecurity issues in manufacturing can lead to serious financial losses and harm to reputation.
- Data Integrity: In 2018, attackers tampered with sensor data at a German steel mill, causing a blast furnace to shut down. Keeping operational data accurate is important to avoid similar disruptions.
- Data Availability: Ransomware attacks, like the 2017 incident at a global shipping firm, blocked access to key operational data, stopping production and deliveries. Cloud security in manufacturing is key to guarding against such threats.
To protect against these risks, manufacturers should focus on these strategies:
- Network Segmentation: Just like with ICS, keeping your IoT devices on a separate network is important. This step isolates your production systems from general traffic, cutting down the risk of an incident.
- Encrypt Data: Make sure data is encrypted both when stored and when sent, to keep it safe from unauthorized access.
- Implement Access Controls: Use strong authentication and authorization methods to control who can access sensitive systems and data.
- Regular Backups and Updates: Keep your systems strong by doing regular backups and quickly applying security patches and updates.
- Use Trusted Service Providers: Choose service providers that focus on security, making sure your cloud and IoT operations are protected by the best available options.
Managing Supply Chain Cybersecurity in Manufacturing
In today’s interconnected manufacturing world, your supply chain is more than just a series of operations, it’s a complex network of partners, vendors, and suppliers. This network is key to keeping your production lines moving.
However, it also introduces industrial cybersecurity risks that could affect your entire operation.
For instance, in 2020, a cyberattack on a software vendor led to compromised updates being distributed to thousands of organizations, including many manufacturing firms. This breach let attackers infiltrate and possibly control their networks, leading to serious cybersecurity challenges in manufacturing like stolen data and compromised systems.
To protect your supply chain, your IT team should put these cybersecurity solutions in place:
- Standards and Requirements: Set and strictly enforce industrial network security standards across all your supply chain partners. Make sure there are clear expectations and security rules that every partner must follow.
- Cybersecurity Audits: Regularly carry out thorough cybersecurity audits and assessments with your supply chain partners to ensure they meet your security standards.
- Information Sharing: Encourage a culture of openness and teamwork by sharing cybersecurity information and best practices with your partners. This collective defense approach can greatly strengthen your network’s security.
- Threat Monitoring: Put systems in place to continuously watch for cyber threats that could impact the supply chain. Quick detection is important for stopping potential breaches.
- Incident Response Coordination: Work closely with your supply chain partners to create coordinated response strategies for any cybersecurity incidents.
Complying with Cybersecurity Regulations and Standards
Navigating the landscape of cybersecurity regulations is vital for any manufacturing IT security team. These rules aren’t just legal requirements, they are key to protecting your systems, keeping trust with partners, and unlocking new revenue opportunities.
Here’s how some important regulations and standards impact the manufacturing sector and what you need to do to stay compliant:
NIST Cybersecurity Framework
The NIST Cybersecurity Framework is a key guideline for manufacturers, especially as Industry 4.0 brings more connected devices into production. This framework helps manufacturers manage and reduce cybersecurity risks across both IT and operational technology (OT) systems. Since manufacturing is a prime target for cyberattacks, following NIST guidelines is important. The framework secures essential data and systems and ensures compliance with federal standards.
GDPR
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has a big effect on manufacturers, especially those dealing with European clients or partners. GDPR enforces strict data protection rules, ensuring that personal data is handled securely. For manufacturers, this means protecting information related to employees, customers, and suppliers.
ISO/IEC 27001
ISO/IEC 27001 is an international standard focused on managing information security. For manufacturers, keeping data secure is more important than ever, especially with the growing exchange of information with customers and suppliers. Real protection can come from a comprehensive plan like ISO 27001. This means securing customer data, controlling device access, safeguarding connections with customer and supplier systems, and conducting regular security audits.
DFARS
For manufacturers in the defense sector, compliance with the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) is important. DFARS sets specific cybersecurity rules to protect controlled unclassified information (CUI). Compliance secures your current contracts and positions your company as a trusted partner in the defense supply chain.
CMMC
The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is a newer requirement gaining traction, especially among manufacturers working with the Department of Defense. CMMC compliance ensures that sensitive government information is protected across the supply chain. Even if your company isn’t directly involved with defense contracts, similar requirements are likely to spread across the industry.
Strategic Compliance Steps for Manufacturers:
- Identify Relevant Regulations: Understand which rules apply to your operations.
- Evaluate Your Current Security Posture: Conduct a thorough assessment to find any gaps.
- Implement Necessary Controls: Apply the right security measures to meet compliance standards.
- Document Compliance Efforts: Keep detailed records of your compliance activities.
- Regularly Review and Update Your Strategy: Stay updated with changes in regulations and adjust your strategy as needed.
Our Virtual CISO platform walks you step by step through this entire process. If you’re looking to expand into new revenue streams or assess your current compliance, you can learn more and get a 90-day demo of the portal for free today.
Developing a Cybersecurity Culture
In manufacturing, cybersecurity isn’t just about using firewalls and antivirus software, it’s about creating a security-focused mindset across your entire organization. Building a strong cybersecurity culture is important for Manufacturing IT Security because it ensures everyone understands their role in keeping the business safe from Industrial Cybersecurity Risks.
According to ISACA, cybersecurity culture is “the knowledge, beliefs, perceptions, attitudes, assumptions, norms, and values of people regarding cybersecurity and how they manifest themselves in people’s behavior with information technologies” (source: ISACA Journal). In other words, cybersecurity should be deeply woven into your organization, shaping how every employee thinks and acts about security.
For manufacturing companies, the human element can either be a significant risk or a powerful asset. A strong cybersecurity culture can encourage behaviors like:
- Consistently following Best Practices for Cybersecurity in Manufacturing, which greatly reduces the likelihood of breaches.
- Properly using cybersecurity tools like multi-factor authentication and encryption to protect the organization.
- Quickly reporting suspicious activities to enable faster responses and minimize damage.
- Ongoing education to stay updated on the latest Cybersecurity Solutions for Manufacturing and threats.
- Promoting Effective Cybersecurity Strategies for Manufacturing Companies to drive positive changes within the company.
To build this culture, manufacturers should:
- Understand where the organization stands and find areas for improvement.
- Ensure everyone aligns with the company’s cybersecurity goals.
- Equip employees with the knowledge needed to identify and respond to cyber threats.
- Support cybersecurity champions who lead by example and motivate others.
- Recognize and reward actions that strengthen the company’s security posture.
Prioritizing Investments: The Top Two Cybersecurity Priorities for Manufacturing Companies
Given tight budgets in manufacturing, it’s essential to focus your cybersecurity efforts where they will have the most impact. In today’s interconnected manufacturing environments, two areas stand out as top priorities: System Patching and User Training on Email Security.
System Patching: The Backbone of Cyber Defense
Patching is one of the most important actions you can take to protect your systems. In manufacturing, where operations are closely linked and downtime is costly, leaving a system unpatched is like leaving the safe door wide open at a bank.
According to NIST Special Publication 800-40r3, patch management involves identifying, acquiring, installing, and verifying patches for your systems. These patches fix vulnerabilities that could otherwise be exploited, making patching a key defense against threats. However, patch management can be complex, especially in environments with diverse and older systems.
NIST suggests a phased approach to deploying patches, which allows you to test patches in a controlled setting before rolling them out widely. This is especially important in manufacturing, where an untested patch could disrupt production. Balancing the need to apply patches quickly with the need to maintain operational stability is key.
User Training on Email Security: Your First Line of Defense
While patching handles the technical side of cybersecurity, you can’t ignore the human element. In manufacturing, human error is often the weakest link, opening the door to phishing attacks and other email-based threats.
The interconnected nature of manufacturing systems means that a single successful phishing attack can lead to widespread disruptions. Comprehensive employee training is essential to safeguarding your operations.
Effective training should cover how to spot phishing attempts, manage passwords securely, and understand the specific threats that manufacturing faces. Regular security assessments and real-life simulations can help reinforce this training, ensuring your team is prepared to handle potential threats.
By focusing on these two areas—system patching and user training on email security—you’re not just protecting your technology, you’re also strengthening your overall cybersecurity posture. These are foundational steps that can help secure your manufacturing environment against today’s evolving threats.
Leveraging Existing Investments
When it comes to securing your manufacturing operations, you don’t always need to start from scratch. Often, you can strengthen your cybersecurity posture by making the most of the tools and systems you already have.
Consider Microsoft Solutions for Cybersecurity. If your manufacturing company uses Microsoft 365 or Azure, you already have powerful Cloud Security in Manufacturing tools to protect your operations.
One such tool is Microsoft Defender for Cloud. It offers full security posture management and workload protection for all your cloud resources—whether they’re on Azure, on-site, or across multiple cloud environments. Microsoft Sentinel, another tool, provides advanced threat detection and response, integrating data across your systems for a unified view of your Industrial Network Security.
By optimizing these existing Endpoint Management Solutions and Cloud Security tools, manufacturing companies can enhance their cybersecurity posture without adding significant costs.
For more details on how to leverage Microsoft Cloud Security in Manufacturing as part of your strategy, visit Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing.
If you need help deploying these cybersecurity solutions, we are here to help. As a Microsoft Partner IT Services provider, we can help you maximize your M365 subscription, saving you time and hassle in the process.
How We Can Help
At Model Technology Solutions, we know that for manufacturing companies, everything revolves around efficiency and revenue. Achieving compliance isn’t about avoiding penalties—it’s about opening doors to new business opportunities while strong cybersecurity practices keep your machines running, helping you avoid costly downtime and preventing cyber attacks.
That’s why we’ve developed cybersecurity solutions for manufacturing tailored to keep your production lines moving smoothly, securely, and profitably.
- Cybersecurity Culture: We assess and benchmark your cybersecurity culture, then help you strategize and plan for improvement. Our services include awareness and training programs, as well as empowering your workforce and recognizing cybersecurity best practices across your organization.
- Compliance Management: Our team guides you through the complex world of cybersecurity compliance, providing assessments, framework development, implementation, and ongoing monitoring. Whether you’re targeting NIST, ISO 27001, CMMC, or other standards, we ensure you are compliant and secure, enabling you to access new revenue streams and protect existing ones.
- Supply Chain Security: Given the interconnected nature of manufacturing, the security of your supply chain is just as important as your own. We offer assessments, governance, compliance training, threat intelligence sharing, and incident response planning to ensure the entire supply chain remains secure.
- Cloud and IoT Security: We offer comprehensive services to assess, design, implement, monitor, and manage your cloud and IoT security. This includes rapid incident response and recovery to keep your operations running smoothly.
- ICS Security: We provide everything from ICS cybersecurity assessments and architecture design to ongoing monitoring and incident response, ensuring that your systems remain secure and operational.
Our Virtual CISO Platform: Better IT Management in a Box
Another tool for manufacturing IT teams is our vCISO platform. Our vCISO platform isn’t just a cybersecurity tool—it’s a comprehensive guide to better IT management, leading to stronger cybersecurity. Using it you’ll get better at everything from patch management to employee training to supply chain partner security, helping you build an efficient IT environment that is also more secure.
It’s also a manufacturing security checklist. If you’re in manufacturing IT, you need a simplified resource to tell you exactly what to do to secure your business, in what order to do it, and everything that’s involved so you can check it off, task by task. Our vCISO platform provides this kind of simplicity so you don’t have to spend hours or days researching the frameworks and tasks you need to be compliant and secure your business or manually track your progress.
Want to learn more about the platform? You can learn more here and start your 90-day demo free of charge.
Case Study: Wozniak Industries
Wozniak Industries, a mid-sized manufacturing company, needed help achieving NIST SP800-171 compliance. Using our vCISO portal, they improved their security posture and moved closer to securing government contracts and adding $ millions in revenue.
Read the full case study here.
Conclusion
The mix of cutting-edge technology and manufacturing is both an exciting opportunity and a challenge. Innovations like IoT, cloud computing, and advanced automation can drive growth, but these advancements also bring cybersecurity challenges in manufacturing that could halt production and impact your bottom line.
A solid cybersecurity strategy is important for preventing downtime, protecting sensitive information, staying compliant with industry regulations, and positions you to tap into new revenue streams.
Balancing innovation with security is something every manufacturing IT department must master. By focusing on the right areas—like patch management, employee training, and adhering to compliance frameworks—you can build a resilient IT infrastructure that not only protects your business but also helps it grow
