Cybersecurity and Your Robotics
Data breaches and cyber-attacks are a very real threat. Here’s how to protect against them when it comes to your robots.
Cybersecurity experts will tell you that threats to systems are only growing, each year. A look back at the trends from the 2010s to present day confirm that: cybercriminals have become more skillful and more motivated. The stakes are high, and that includes the potential impact of cyberattacks on material handling equipment.
Cybercrime continues to escalate. In the last three years alone, it has resulted in more than $12 billion in damages globally. Roughly 53% of industrial manufacturers have experienced breaches. By 2025, cybercrime is expected to cost companies $10.5 trillion annually.
Looking ahead to 2025 and beyond, the top factors affecting information security will include the Internet of Things (IoT), converging cyber-physical systems, and increasing regulatory requirements. One critical objective, according to experts, is to better align IT (Information Technology) and OT (Operational Technology) security. This focus on cybersecurity is not only essential but increasingly mandated. By 2027, nearly 40% of boards are expected to have a dedicated cybersecurity committee, and half of all C-level positions will have performance metrics tied to cyber risk built into their contracts.
In general, most companies still have work to do to protect against cybercrime. Attacks can originate from IT networks, OT environments, and even the supply chain. Insider threats are also a concern—though often unintentional, such as when a person has unauthorized access to data and accidentally exposes it.
When it comes to your autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) there are several threats to consider, and steps to mitigate those threats. AGVs, due to their closed systems, are less of a concern.
AMRs require greater computational resources and constant communication between the robots and control systems, requiring industrial PCs. They effectively become data centers on wheels, which exposes them to greater vulnerability. Add on the layer that they are large physical objects moving about the floor, and you have a recipe where hackers can create safety concerns and/or share sensitive footage and information to competitors.
To mitigate those threats, you need to put forth a collective effort from everyone involved in AMR operations. The manufacturers need to lay the groundwork, integrators must understand the wider IoT network, and end users must have cybersecurity best practices in place to keep hackers outside of their systems. Your goal should be protecting your AMRs at the process level, software level, and hardware level.
Within those three levels of protection are many best practices to undertake. They include some of the following:
- Static code analysis
- Vulnerability tests
- Systems hardening
- Application security
- Software updates
- User authentication and authorization
- Embedded hardware security
To protect AMRs from these risks, a coordinated effort is necessary from everyone involved in their lifecycle:
- Manufacturers should design security measures into their products.
- System integrators need to understand the broader IoT network and potential points of vulnerability.
- End users must implement cybersecurity best practices to keep attackers from accessing their systems.
Your goal should be to protect MAVs at multiple levels: process, software, and hardware.
If you’ve got AMRs, or are considering AMRs, work closely with your integrator and OEM partners to make cybersecurity a top priority. The threats aren’t going away, so preparation is your best defense.
Source: MHI webinar
To find out more about MHI’s MAG Industry Group: https://www.mhi.org/mag
For further articles/podcasts from MAG:
Essential Sensors for Safe AMRs
Integrating Mobile Robots Into Your Operations
Building Sustainability Through Mobile Automation
Podcast: Energizing Mobile Automation
Top Misconceptions Of Mobile Automation
Podcast: MAG – How To Get Started With Mobile Automation
Podcast: Sensors Revolutionizing Automated Material Movement: Efficiency And Safety Enhanced
