How to protect tomorrow’s critical infrastructure by Catherine Bischofberger

Imagine a city the size of London thrown into chaos, as public transport grinds to a halt and traffic lights stop functioning ...This is no longer only the stuff of nightmares or the scenario of a disaster movie but a real possibility that is getting more likely every day. Critical infrastructure facilities, whether power or nuclear plants, national railway and local underground systems or other forms of public transport, are increasingly targeted by cyber attacks. Sophisticated cyber weapons have been developed, including malware designed to disrupt the operation of industrial control systems. The growing use of connected devices in the industrial environment make cyber threats more likely. According to the report Threat Landscape for Industrial Automation Systems, published by cyber security firm Kaspersky Lab, 18 000 different malware modifications to industrial automation systems were detected in the first six months of 2017.

When machines talk to each other...

Machine-to-machine communication is a set of technologies that enables networked devices to interoperate, exchange information or perform actions, often wirelessly and without the manual assistance of humans. Sensors are embedded in a growing number of devices which are utilized to automate and manage process control systems, including transmission and distribution of electricity. While they offer undeniable advantages in terms of cost and maintenance, they are also increasingly vulnerable to hacking.

Cyber security is therefore one....