“Cybersecurity in Industry 4.0 is essential to protect a company's operations, production and the quality of its products from cyber-attacks”
Cybersecurity in industry: protecting business operations, production and quality
Ana Ayerbe, president of the Spanish Network of Excellence on Cybersecurity Research (RENIC by its Spanish acronym) and director of Cores-Digital at TECNALIA warns about the cybersecurity risks for Industry 4.0: “Industry faces cyber-attacks that may affect its normal operations, its production process and the quality of its products”.
In the era of Industry 4.0, where digitalisation has driven significant progress, cyber security has become key to protecting companies' operations, production and product quality in the face of increasing cyber attacks.
According to cybersecurity expert Ana Ayerbe, it is essential that companies protect their IT and OT systems to make them resilient to cyber-attacks, while at the same time considering cybersecurity in the design of their products so that they are also resilient when they are being used by their customers. Threats such as CEO fraud, ransomware, phishing and APTs can affect a company's operations, the production process and the quality of the products it manufactures.
Ensuring the smooth operation of industrial equipment and services through cybersecurity
Industrial cybersecurity programmes and regulatory knowledge to protect companies
Ana points out that ensuring that equipment and services in industry function properly is only possible if cybersecurity is taken into account from the design of an installation, and the products and services to be provided. There are programmes such as SPRI's Industrial Cybersecurity and BDIH Konexio programmes to help companies financially to take on cybersecurity at different stages.
She also stresses the importance of management involvement in these initiatives, and the need for companies to keep themselves informed about regulations that are relevant to their sector and types of products.
Strengthening cybersecurity in Basque companies through the Basque Cybersecurity Center
The Basque Government is promoting cybersecurity in Basque companies through the Basque Cybersecurity Center, a centre that aims to strengthen the protection of business systems and promote a culture of cybersecurity in the region. This initiative is part of the objective of creating a solid economic fabric to ensure the resilience of companies against cyber-attacks. This approach aims to protect production and the quality of products, and to ensure business continuity in an increasingly challenging digital environment.
In Industry 4.0, cybersecurity has become crucial in terms of protecting operations, production and quality. The digital transformation means that constant attention needs to be paid to cybersecurity to ensure a productive and resilient industrial future.
