How Vulnerable Is Your Safety?

Back in the day, children were able to play outside for hours without telling their parents exactly where they would be, with whom and what games would be played. You were able to leave your car or house windows and doors open or unlocked, and nothing would be stolen. Chances were pretty high that if you lost your wallet, someone would return it with the money intact.

Today, safety is a different deal. You can't walk down the street without worrying about your bank account funds and credit card information being stolen through RFID technology. You can't even drop your ID or let anyone know what your email or Facebook password is because within seconds your identity will be stolen.

So, is anyone doing anything to protect your cybersecurity? You betcha! The first line of defense better be you. You're only as secure as you want to be and are willing to make the effort to be. It can be a daunting task, but help is out there. Many automation leaders are strengthening their industrial networks' security to protect their proprietary data and processes from hackers.

Also Read: Reader Feedback: Cybersecurity Risk

[sidebar id="2"]Our cybersecurity expert, Joe Weiss, covers this subject. In his "Unfettered" blog, he gives us insights into what automation professionals are doing—and not doing—about their cybersecurity. Joe is worth following.

"Aurora and Its Effectives on Cybersecurity" is a blog entry Weiss wrote in September, in which he discusses the merits of the test and the many conjectures concerning its validity. Read this blog entry at www.controlglobal.com/aurora-effectives to learn more.

Andrew Ginter, director of industrial security at Waterfall Security Solutions, wrote the article, "13 Ways Through a Firewall: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You." Make sure you haven't missed one of these back doors into your systems. Read the article at www.controlglobal.com/cybersecurity-can-hurt-you, and find a link to all 13 ways to breach a firewall.

Lastly, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released the Cybersecurity Framework draft in October. Tofino's Ernie Hayden provides some background on how this document came to be, and explains what it could mean to you as a control system or security professional. Read the article, "Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity," at www.controlglobal.com/critical-cybersecurity to learn more.

You can find more insightful articles on cybersecurity by doing a search on our site. Get informed and be ready to defend your safety in cyber space.