Greater Flexibility but Cybersecurity Risks

 

Is IoT a Friend or a Foe?

 

The rise of IoT technology has revolutionized data sharing and management in various industries. While it offers numerous benefits such as accelerated processes, increased profits, and cost reduction, it also introduces cybersecurity risks. IoT enables the creation of a digital infrastructure that utilizes sensors to gather, interact with, monitor, and process information autonomously, simplifying tasks and enhancing accessibility. Additionally, it aids in the development of new revenue streams and provides a secure, efficient, and user-friendly consumer experience.

 

However, the interconnected nature of IoT systems also exposes vulnerabilities that can compromise sensitive data. While IoT facilitates easier data sharing, it simultaneously increases the potential for unauthorized access to and exposure of confidential information, thereby amplifying cybersecurity threats.

 

Mechatronics, an interdisciplinary field merging mechanical and electrical processes, aims to enhance stability, scalability, efficiency, and flexibility. Nevertheless, even minor lapses in security can lead to a surge in cyber attacks. For instance, granting shared control over packaging lines or plant control systems can render a plant susceptible to cyber risks. This raises a significant question: are the benefits of IoT tools, such as increased throughput, reduced downtime, improved flexibility, and enhanced performance, worth the potential compromise of data, unauthorized access, and substantial losses due to cyber damage?

 

Speaking about the valid and understandable concerns regarding the blurred lines between IoT advancements and cybersecurity risks, Jeff Winter, an Industry 4.0 thought leader, said, “So this is a tricky question because there is no absolute right or wrong here. This ultimately comes down to a judgment call about risk. The more you start to utilize new emerging technologies, the more you increase your risk to security-related incidents because pretty much all the new industry 4.0 technologies, to be fully optimized, require access to the internet.”

 

Jeff also mentions that cybersecurity concerns are not limited to data loss and leakage. If cyber risks attack industrial control systems, it could affect functionality by hindering or infesting it with internal or external malicious factors, such as tampered files displayed on HMI.

 

However, the risk of cyber damage is worth the benefits IoT tools bestow upon industries. “When properly leveraging Industry 4.0 technologies, they not only can help optimize production processes to previously unthought-of levels, increasing profit and reducing cost, but they can also completely change the way that your employees work and even the value that you provide to your customers,” according to Jeff.

 

Winters also claim IoT and industry 4.0 technology is the key to standing out and staying ahead in today’s competitive industry. Functioning without IoT tools might put companies in a challenging situation, especially with their competitors leveraging modern technologies.

 

“Digital transformation strategy should embrace new technologies to take your company to entirely new levels. But at the heart of this strategy should be the foundation of cybersecurity.”