Ransomware, phishing, viruses: If it’s connected to the internet, someone’s probably trying to hack it. Threats are everywhere in today’s digital world, and now that factories run on smart technology, it’s not just laptops at risk.
Industry 4.0 has moved manufacturing from traditional methods to smart, automated systems (think robots and sensors on the factory floor). But with this shift comes a bigger risk: cyberattacks targeting vulnerable networks.
If you’re entering the industrial world, understanding cybersecurity isn’t optional—it’s survival. Here’s what you need to know.
A 2020 study by Ponemon Institute showed that the industrial technology sector spent $5 billion to fight cybersecurity data breaches that year. That number has only grown since, and phishing attacks have become scarily convincing. Industrial cyber-attacks aren’t isolated incidents but rather part of a growing trend.
Manufacturing has become the most-targeted sector for cybercriminals. Believe it or not, industrial tech accounts for over a quarter of known security incidents!
Industrial technology companies are high-value targets for cybercriminals because of how costly downtime is. If a hacker can break into a facility’s industrial control system, for example, they get immediate access to specialized computers and controllers that run machinery.
Think about what’s at stake with such an intrusion: Everything from assembly line robots to the valves in a chemical plant can be reprogrammed, altered, and controlled remotely. It’s like holding a victim hostage … except the victim is a robot, or even a company’s entire system.
Here’s a real-life example: In 2021, a hacker gained access to a water treatment plant in Florida and tried to change the water’s chemical levels. A plant operator discovered the breach in time to prevent harm—but imagine what could have happened if those chemical levels had reached the water supply.
How Industrial Plants Use Cybersecurity Protection
Most industrial plants employ two types of teams to manage cybersecurity:
Most modern factories use “defense-in-depth” strategies. Think of these as multiple walls of protection around their systems—like multiple firewalls. If one layer is breached, several others remain. This helps keep damage from spreading unchecked.
Common practices used against cyberattacks include:
A Siemens white paper found that the root cause of many security incidents was poor password practices—something many of us (we get it!) are guilty of. For instance, factory equipment installers often left systems with no password or reused the same easy-to-guess password on multiple machines.
The NotPetya malware outbreak in 2017 hit industrial firms hard, prompting large corporations like Siemens to ramp up security efforts, building security into their equipment and even retrofitting older systems.
Older machines weren’t designed around cybersecurity, which makes them easy targets. In the United States, many Texas-based companies (especially oil, gas, and manufacturing) are upgrading legacy systems with help from cybersecurity partnerships and local university programs like The University of Texas Permian Basin.
Industrial technology is the most-targeted sector for cyberattacks. To stay ahead of looming cybersecurity threats, companies must layer defenses like updates, network segmentation, backup plans—anything to make a hacker’s job harder.
The next wave of cybersecurity will likely include:
By 2026, the global market for industrial cybersecurity is expected to hit over $22 billion. This means professionals in industrial technology are becoming more essential than ever.
Think you’re up for the challenge?
Imagine building secure networks and encrypting hardware for next-generation industrial plants. Today’s industrial technology professionals are more than just engineers—they’re experts in security and artificial intelligence, as well.
In West Texas, UT Permian Basin’s new Cyber Center in Odessa-Midland is training future professionals to safeguard critical infrastructure. But you don’t have to be on-site to receive UTPB’s top-quality education.
UTPB offers two fully online industrial technology programs. If you’re just starting out, our online BS in industrial technology can help you learn:
Already working? Our online BAAS in industrial technology is an ideal fit for professionals looking to continue their studies. It’s the only one of its kind in the UT System.
As more industries go digital, there will be a growing need for cyber-literate industrial professionals. If you want to help protect the systems that power our factories, energy grids, and supply chains, then cybersecurity is your way in.
Want to be the one that protects the tech that powers the world? Start your future in industrial technology at UTPB.
Sources:
https://www.techtarget.com/iotagenda/tip/Operational-technology-vs-information-technology-explained
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