Manufacturing and construction depend on large networks of sensors, actuators and controllers to operate, control and monitor systems and processes. Much of the equipment used in these industries comes with built-in devices for sensing, data collection and communicating.

The data flowing through these devices helps both industries meet a number of requirements including efficiency, safety, quality and productivity. A successful attack can compromise any or all of these areas. For example, hacked sensors may allow a defective product on an assembly line to pass as “safe,” or transmit incorrect information about the load-bearing capacity of a bridge.

The vulnerabilities of sensors and controllers in manufacturing and construction have grown significantly in recent years, for several reasons. One is simply that there are more of these devices in use, which increases the attack surface available. Another is that the devices and their networks are highly customized. For example, no two manufacturing plants are identical, and building information models are different for every structure. This means there is a greater variety of deployment architectures and scenarios that make every structure unique, even if they use the same device model.

A third reason for the increase in vulnerabilities is that the devices are often located in remote areas and left unattended for long periods. Therefore, the sensors are only as secure as the physical security measures surrounding them.

For the above reasons, security must be baked in to sensors and controllers as deeply as possible. Actuators must be able to authenticate the source of incoming commands before carrying them out, and controllers must be able to identify and authenticate the source of sensor data before acting on it.

Learn more about the Veridify’s DOME platform for IoT Security.