How can AI be used to improve cybersecurity in manufacturing?

How can AI be used to improve cybersecurity in manufacturing?

AI-driven cybersecurity tools can help manufacturers by enabling use cases like anomaly detection, spotting potential insider threats and access anomalies, and finding malicious patterns in network traffic. These tools can analyze data much faster than humans and produce actionable reports for OT security and generation teams. For example, AI can help predict and detect potential data or machine downtime or be used for threat hunting. Additionally, generative AI is being integrated into security tools to simplify their use for personnel who aren’t cybersecurity experts. This means users can rely on plain English to make requests and receive information instead of needing to know specialized syntax or code.

Experts suggest focusing AI-based cybersecurity efforts on the most critical control processes in manufacturing. They also emphasize that AI is most effective when it’s part of a comprehensive, integrated security program that includes basic hygiene, such as patching and hardening systems. Without those foundational elements, AI will simply generate a large amount of data that companies won’t be equipped to leverage.

Cybersecurity risks should be integrated into everyday procedures and discussions. Experts encourage manufacturing companies to adopt a programmatic approach to cybersecurity by implementing a framework that addresses issues systematically. Frameworks like ISA 62443 can help organizations develop a roadmap for building a mature cybersecurity program. Although it’s often mistaken as only providing risk assessment, ISA 62443 provides a pathway for organizations to establish, implement, and maintain a robust security program.

When considering AI-based security technologies, manufacturers should prioritize a consolidated platform approach to avoid the challenges of integrating disparate tools. This is especially important since it’s often difficult to fully realize the benefits of every feature in every tool, even when using a single platform. Additionally, organizations should select technologies based on their long-term needs, considering how their security programs might evolve in the coming years, and avoid focusing solely on trendy tools.

This is an excerpt from the “Beware of Bad Actors | Leveraging AI-Powered Threat Intel to Keep Industrial Systems Safe and Available” session sponsored by Fortinet at IIoT World Manufacturing Days. The summary was generated by notebooklm based on the transcript of the session. It was edited by IIoT World.

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