Cyber security in production: AI offers opportunities and risks!

Cyber security in production: AI offers opportunities and risks!

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA - The current results of the show that cyber security in the manufacturing industry is one of the greatest external concerns. Rockwell Automation, Inc. published the knowledge from the tenth annual report, which is based on the experience of over 1,500 managers from 17 countries. It is striking that a third of the respondents are responsible for cyber security in their companies.

The report is one of the most serious external risks and places this topic in second place, directly behind inflation and economic growth (34 %). According to the State of Smart Manufacturing Report prioritize by Rockwell Automation over a third of managers in manufacturing the strengthening of their IT/OT security architecture within the next five years.

The convergence of IT and OT removes historical security limits that used to protect the OT environments. Manufacturers must therefore consider modern, AI-controlled defense strategies such as Network Detection and Response (NDR) in order to quickly identify suspicious behavior. Attackers use advanced tools from the Dark Web, which exacerbates the existing security threats.

insights into security strategies and shortage of skilled workers

Another revolutionary knowledge is the shortage of skilled workers in the field of cyber security, which is a considerable obstacle to competitiveness for many companies. The report emphasizes that 61 % of cyber security and IT experts are planning to use AI and machine learning within the next 12 months to improve security. A significant part of industry, especially companies with high sales, considers advanced cyber security practices to be essential.

Nevertheless, the use of AI in cyber security does not remain without challenges. According to a survey from Capterra, companies in Germany see AI-supported attacks as one of the greatest Cyber threats for 2023. Here, phishing and social engineering attacks were identified as the main reasons for investments in AI-supported security measures.

The challenges also include inadequate analysis accuracy and the need for constant system monitoring. Experts emphasize that human expertise is crucial for the training and monitoring of AI systems to ensure their optimal functionality.

Overall, the current reports and surveys show that despite the enormous opportunities that AI offers in production, there are also considerable security risks and organizational challenges. Industry faces the task of developing innovative security strategies and at the same time managing the shortage of skilled workers in order to remain competitive in the digital era.