At a time when automation has become the main driver of technological progress, the role of automation designers goes far beyond engineering processes.
With this change comes a new level of responsibility. Namely, ensuring the security of automated systems.
Cyber threats, which were previously mainly a problem for IT departments, now pose a serious threat to those involved in the design of automation systems. Knowledge of cyber security is becoming critical for every professional involved in the design of automated solutions.
Automation Designers in the New Cyber Environment: Their Role
Automated systems are increasingly under attack because they are vulnerable due to their complexity and integration with other networks. The designers who create these solutions have a unique opportunity to influence the overall level of automation security at the design stage. It is up to them to decide:
Will the system be vulnerable to automated attacks? Or will it be able to autonomously detect and neutralize threats?
Many people still perceive cyber threats as something that should be dealt with exclusively by the IT department. However, this position is dangerous. Modern attacks increasingly use complex vectors that affect:
- Programmable logic
- Network architecture
- Interaction with the Internet
Automation designers must include security in their design philosophy as an integral component of the system.
How ordinary user fraud can be a lesson for professionals
One of the most dangerous features of modern cyber threats is their simplicity and effectiveness. Many of them are designed to exploit human gullibility, inattention, and fatigue.
If a search scam can mislead millions of users through a simple message in a browser, what prevents similar principles from working in the context of automated systems?
Of course, this is a rhetorical question. One example that illustrates this point is the 5 billionth search scam.
This is a typical case of a browser scam warning. It tricks the user into believing that they have won a prize or that their browser is infected, prompting them to install suspicious software.
If such scams are effective on a mass scale, imagine the danger they pose in a corporate environment. It is important to understand how such tools work to recognize and remove scam components from projects at an early stage.
Lessons learned from such incidents can be incorporated into training for automation teams so that they understand how automated attacks and social engineering can bypass even the best technical defenses.
How Cyber Threat Cases Help Build Secure Systems
- Industrial system incidents
- IoT and interaction with cloud services
Incidents related to industrial systems
In 2012, global oil company Saudi Aramco was the target of a large-scale cyber threat. The attackers used the Shamoon malware. It wiped data from more than 30,000 of the company’s computers.
The attack was fast and coordinated. Its goal was to disrupt business processes and destabilize production. Although Shamoon was not technically sophisticated, its implementation demonstrated the enormous vulnerability of critical business systems.
Including networks connected to automation elements. As a result of the attack:
- The company’s operations were severely disrupted
- The hard drives of thousands of machines had to be completely replaced
- The corporate network was shut down
For automation designers, this example is a reminder of how deeply cyber security must be integrated into the system.
IoT and interaction with cloud services
Automation systems are increasingly integrated with the Internet of Things. But each such node is a potential vulnerability. Attacks on smart thermostats, surveillance cameras, and other devices demonstrate that cyber threats can take the most unexpected forms.
Therefore, designers should not only consider standard security protocols, but also create their own monitoring mechanisms. These should allow them to:
- Detect anomalies in device behavior
- Analyze traffic
- Block suspicious requests in real time
Practical Steps for Designers to Implement Security in Automation
Threat modeling: Risk analysis
Threat modeling allows you to identify potential cyber threats before the product is implemented and consider them in the system logic. This includes:
- Building scenarios of possible attacks
- Identifying points of entry
- Creating response plans
The human factor should also be considered. Therefore, another area of responsibility for designers is creating interfaces that prioritize usability and safe user behavior.
Implementation of cyber security automation tools
Modern solutions allow you to automatically:
- Check vulnerabilities
- Update components
- Analyze event logs
- Block potential threats without human intervention
The use of such tools as part of the CI/CD automation design process is a new standard in automation security.
It is also worth implementing honeypots. These are virtual traps that help detect automated attacks at an early stage.
Conclusion
Every automated system designer must think like a cyber expert and understand the principles of cyber security in order to actively apply them in their work.
The world of everyday cyber threats offers a wealth of material for analyzing and improving approaches to automation security.
Integrating cyber security automation principles into the development process will not only enable the creation of effective systems, but also ensure their resilience to the most advanced challenges.
Designers who realize this are becoming the true architects of a secure future.
