Industrial Cybersecurity Concerns Heat Up in The Era of COVID-19

As industrial companies connect plant-level software and devices to internet-connected enterprise systems, cybersecurity has become a critical operations issue for manufacturers of all sizes. While the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) greatly expands the efficiency of plant floor operations, it also introduces countless new vectors for potential cyberattacks. With more data flowing in and out of plants, the concern is that once localized networks will become more vulnerable. The threat actors seeking to exploit these new loopholes include disgruntled employees and criminals attempting to steal intellectual property or other sensitive information for purposes of extortion, hacktivists who desire to garner public attention for their causes, and state-backed foreign agents engaged in espionage activities for political purposes.