The high exposure to cyber risks of industrial players and organizations using OT/IoT and embedded systems is a hot topic right now. In this context, it is essential to take this fact into account and thoroughly rethink cyber governance to avoid any compromises that could have significant consequences. But how can this be done, and what fundamentals need to be implemented?
Industry 4.0/5.0 safety
Protecting the future of critical infrastructure is essential. With 25% of cyberattacks targeting the manufacturing sector and recent major incidents (water treatment, automotive), the urgency is real. In this sense, deploying pragmatic solutions tailored to the specificities of industrial environments is essential: network segmentation, secure protocols, robust identity management, and advanced intrusion detection. More broadly, anticipating tomorrow's threats with a Zero Trust approach, specially designed for modern industry, completes the picture.
Embedded systems security
From aviation to surgical robots, embedded systems require flawless security in critical environments. Protection against cyberattacks must be integrated from the design stage and comply with rigorous standards (ISO 21434, DO-326, IEC 62443). To meet these complex challenges, several key actions must be taken: identification of requirements, risk analysis, code auditing, and validation through penetration testing.
IoT & Product Security
By 2025, 25 billion connected objects will transform our daily lives (smart homes, smart cities, industrial and medical IoT). This revolution brings considerable added value to businesses, but hides a major risk: 60% of these devices have vulnerabilities that can lead to production stoppages, massive data leaks, or industrial espionage. A comprehensive approach is therefore essential: in-depth auditing, security reinforcement (robust encryption, segmentation, hardening), and continuous monitoring and surveillance of emerging threats.
The essential pillars of cybersecurity and resilience for OT/IoT and embedded systems
Several common fundamental pillars enable the protection of critical infrastructure, smart devices, and industrial systems against cyber threats and failures.
- Security by Design: Integrate cybersecurity from the development phase by applying the principles of least privilege and attack surface reduction, and by performing code reviews and penetration testing.
- Hardware and software security: Protect physical components from reverse engineering, fault injection, and side-channel attacks, and ensure the integrity of embedded software through secure boot and firmware encryption.
- Securing communications and networks: Ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of exchanges between devices via secure protocols and limiting the spread of threats by separating IT/OT flows.
- Secure update management: Ensure update reliability with secure OTA mechanisms, digital signatures, and integrity checks, and consider the security maintenance process from the design phase onwards.
- Resilient architectures: Ensure business continuity with redundant systems, fail-safe architectures, and rapid recovery strategies.
- Threat monitoring and detection: Deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS/IPS) and SIEM/SOAR solutions adapted to embedded and industrial environments to anticipate cyberattacks.
- These few elements are essential milestones that must be incorporated in order to implement a 360° approach to protecting critical infrastructure.
By Pierre Nicolas at Scassi powered by Squad
Press contacts
Franck Tupinier
MyNTIC PR
ftupinier@myntic-pr.com
Lily Magagnin
CMO, Squad Group
lily.magagnin@squadgroup.com
