Tag: CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS

The maritime industry faces a not-so-distant future when ships will be completely autonomous, using navigation data that they receive to plot their own courses with only minimal input from shoreside control centers. The efficiencies this could bring are massive, but before this happens, cybersecurity issues must be addressed. Not only are many vessels configured in ways that invite cyberattacks, but security practices also need to be improved before the industry can safely navigate its future. An increasingly digitized maritime industry A fleet of 250 autonomous vessels may launch soon. And that would be only the beginning, according to McKinsey and Co....

My article "Stuxnet: the father of cyber-kinetic weapons" was published on CSO Online. As we approach the 10th anniversary of when Stuxnet was (likely) deployed, it is worthwhile to examine the effect it still has on our world. As the world’s first-ever cyberweapon, it opened Pandora’s box. It was the first true cyber-kinetic weapon – and it changed military history and is changing world history, as well. Its impact on the future cannot be overstated.

Stuxnet was the first true cyber-kinetic weapon, designed to cripple the Iranian – and perhaps also the North Korean – nuclear weapon programs. It succeeded in slowing the Iranian program, although it was discovered before it could deal the program a fatal blow. Its significance goes far beyond what it did. It marks a clear turning point in the military history and cybersecurity. Its developers hoped for a weapon that could destroy strategic targets without civilian damage possible in traditional warfare. Instead, it opened the door to cyberattacks that can deliver widespread disruption to the very civilian populations it was...

In my latest opinion piece on IoT Agenda “Why governments must take the lead on IoT security frameworks” I argue that there needs to be more government involvement when it comes to IoT security. At least until the industry more broadly accepts that IoT security, if done right, can become a competitive advantage and even speed up innovation.

My article "Defeating 21st Century pirates: the maritime industry and cyberattacks" was published on CSO Online. From the article: Digitization in the maritime industry is growing, and cyberattacks are growing along with it. Attackers achieve massive paydays when maritime targets leave vulnerabilities open. If the maritime industry is to enjoy the potential that digitization can bring, it must put cybersecurity in the forefront instead of on the back burner.

My article "The tangible threat of cyber-kinetic attacks" was published on CSO Online. Connecting physical objects and processes to the cyber world offers us capabilities that exponentially exceed the expectations of science fiction writers and futurists of past generations. But it also introduces disquieting possibilities. Those possibilities reach beyond cyberspace to threaten the physical world in which we live and – potentially – our own physical well-being.

The open seas have long attracted those who yearned for adventure. The risk of pitting oneself against a vast and unforgiving sea has tested sailors’ mettle for millennia. It’s not surprising that the maritime industry is one that thrives on facing – and overcoming – risks. But, as technology increasingly dominates it, growing risks exist that the industry dare not ignore. Its growing effort to increase efficiencies through digitization and automation has made it an inviting target for 21st century pirates whose weapons are not cutlasses, but computers. Vulnerabilities in maritime systems and security practices threaten to inflict huge losses...

My article "Our smart future and the threat of cyber-kinetic attacks" is published on HelpNetSecurity. Like most of my writing, the article focuses on cyber-kinetic threats of industrial control systems and how the rapid adoption of IoT keeps exponentially increasing the threat.

My article "Protecting smart technologies and IoT from cyber-kinetic attacks" is published on IoT Agenda. The article highlights the cyber-kinetic threats of the IoT. From the article intro: "Making physical objects or systems “smart” is all the rage today. Terms like smart houses, smart cars, smart cities, smart grids, smart refrigerators and even smart hairbrushes pop up everywhere. But there’s something not smart in the way this trend is progressing. Securing smart systems is being often overlooked."

Crowdstrike published its annual Cyber Intrusion Services Casebook. Drawn from 100 real-life client engagements, the report looks into ever-evolving attacker tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) and reveals emerging trends observed in attack behaviors, including the preferred tactics used by threat actors to gain entry to the targeted environment.

Honeywell released a new study "Putting Industrial Cyber Security at the Top of the CEO Agenda" showing industrial companies are not moving quickly to adopt cyber security measures to protect their data and operations, even as attacks have increased around the globe.

BlackBerry has published its recommended framework to protect cars from cybersecurity threats. According to BlackBerry, the real challenge is securing the supply chain manufacturing these smart vehicles. With so many actors in the supply chain space individually contributing hardware or software, there is a higher risk of one of them accidentally introducing something harmful or not fully securing a part, which could result in the entire vehicle being compromised. The whitepaper lays out seven crucial security recommendations to harden automobile electronics from cyber attacks.

Industrial Internet Consortium published a new white paper "Key Safety Challenges for the IIoT". The white paper addresses four key challenges in IIoT security and offers why other current safety frameworks are falling short, and recommends what can be done to further mitigate these challenges.

Wi-SUN Alliance just released results of a survey of 350 IT decision makers from firms in the U.S., UK, Sweden and Denmark that are already investing in at least one IoT project. Similarly to other IoT related surveys, this one confirms that the IoT security tops the list of major concerns for IoT adopters. IoT security is holding back nearly six in ten (59%) of the respondents.

Trend Micro released the latest in the series of Shodan-based security studies on exposed city cyber asset. Earlier this year they released the report on exposed US cities, and now they looked into Europe, looking not only at Western European capitals, but deeper into three of its largest countries – Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.