HANNOVER MESSE Devotes top Priority to Industrial Security

February 11, 2019

There is still a major discrepancy between digitization on the one hand and data security on the other. With the advent of Industry 4.0 it is now time to reassess priorities. “Digitization cannot function without security,” says Hubertus von Monschaw, Global Director Digital Factory at HANNOVER MESSE. “This goes beyond data security. It is essential to safeguard interconnected production systems as well as the underlying IT infrastructure.” This view has been echoed in recent guidelines published by the German Engineering Federation (VDMA): To operate plant and machinery securely throughout their lifecycles, it is not sufficient to add security functions subsequently. Instead, plant and machinery manufacturers must pay close attention to security issues during the product development phase.

The Industrial Security display in Hall 6 is a central meeting-place for suppliers and users in the plant/mechanical engineering sectors and industrial automation. “Innovative industrial security solutions make their debut at HANNOVER MESSE”, von Monschaw emphasizes. “The show is a ‘must-see’ event for all those who want to expand their knowledge of industrial security and safeguard their production infrastructure.”

The closer integration of machines, products and processes generates vast quantities of data and creates the basis for new digital business models. However, this necessitates secure data exchange and processing. “To further integrate industry and to exploit the opportunities opened up by digitization we require sophisticated security solutions – in every connected sensor, actuator, device and machine,” emphasizes Oliver Winzenried, member of the managing board of Wibu-Systems AG. “Compared with IT applications in offices, industrial security places higher demands in terms of availability and real-time functionality. Open international standards (e.g. OPC UA via TSN) are central to ensuring the global deployment and interoperability of products. This is especially important with regard to small and medium-sized manufacturers. Staff training plays a vital role in industrial security, as do devices equipped with ‘security by default’.”

An important factor is the speed at which malfunctions in the security system are detected. “The Real time connection of plants, systems and machines to the industrial cloud platform requires trustworthy data in both directions from and to the OT (Operational Technology) environment. The joint Kaspersky LAB and APROTECH team will present the first Industrial Gateway with Secure By Design architecture and Vulnerability Monitor MindApp to equip large IoT infrastructures with the ability to visualize cyber vulnerabilities in real time,” says Andrey Suvorov, Head of Critical Infrastructure Protection Business Development, Future Technologies, Kaspersky Lab.

Blockchain technology is a further important issue affecting industrial security – above all with regard to data integrity and device ownership. “At the beginning and throughout the product life cycle, blockchains deliver recurrent reference data records, which can be monitored either periodically or in the event of suspicious activity,” explains Björn Obermeier, Blockchain Lead at Accenture in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. “Thanks to its decentralized nature, blockchain technology is less open to attack and ensures that devices and their owners maintain an immutable digital identity. This creates additional security. There is no scope for interpretation with regard to ‘ownership/authorship’ disputes and incidents. Blockchains are ideally suited to shop-floor applications, both now and in the future.”

The Industrial Security display at HANNOVER MESSE will be augmented by the Industrial Security Forum, where industry experts will inform visitors about a wide range of topics – for example, security by design, legal issues relating to IT security, certification and approval, digitization, virtualization and cloud computing, 5G technology, blockchain/distributed ledger technology and cyber attacks. The focus will be on new solutions and examples of best practice presented by users.

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