Cyber security in industrial manufacturing: Matters of national security

Global Manufacturing Outlook Episode 5

From a cross-industry perspective, the consistent top forms of cyber risk typically consists of theft of consumer information and trade secrets, infecting company websites to in turn compromise the connected systems, and holding data and information hostage for a ransom.

The industrial manufacturing space is prone to some unique cyber threats, and their impact actually present national security issues. For example: breaching the IT infrastructure to gain access to industrial control systems to disrupt plant operations; gaining access to systems that centrally and remotely control connected products in order to conduct surveillance of people, or to create a public safety hazard; and phishing of control system engineers by email, to gain access to mobile devices that they use to perform maintenance on control systems to also create a public safety hazard.

In this podcast, Shane Sims, a Principal in KPMG’s Cyber Security group, and Samuel Fogleman, a Partner in KPMG’s Internal Audit and Enterprise Risk group, sat down to discuss:

• Why industrial manufacturers need to think of themselves as consumer products companies as it relates to the cyber risks they face
• The key questions industrial manufacturers need to ask and answer in the context of their cyber-preparedness, including what is their CEO’s view on their organization’s top cyber risk, what is the organization’s strategy to address the risks, and whether the organization’s suppliers are executing an aligned cyber security strategy
• How to look at cyber security as a value driver, both from a consumer perspective and an internal “reasonable and defensible” standpoint.