Whether it is the factory floor, an autonomous vehicle on the road, a connected surgery room, or a smart energy grid powering up a city, ubiquitous connectivity has exposed these industrial applications to unprecedented cyber threats. We are architecting a connected world where the network itself has been "weaponized." The increasing use of open standards in OT infrastructure, cloud connectivity, and multi-vendor-based highly complex solutions has seized the protection of using "little-known" protocols and technologies in industrial networks. Wireless technologies are providing a fast track to connectivity, but are also easier avenues (compared to wireline) for interception, code injection, and other forms of "man-in-the-middle" attacks (WSN).
Insider attacks and human errors can also cause havoc. The Stuxnet virus, for example, could slip through automated process control system (APCS) firewalls by taking stealthy routes such as USB drives, CDs,...
