K
Kathleen Martin
Guest
Acceleration of XIoT unlocked business opportunities and ignited security innovation
Most experts agree that over the past two years, COVID has accelerated digital transformation significantly – by five to 10 years – as has the convergence of physical and digital assets. Ransomware attacks against hospitals, oil pipelines, food supply chains, and other critical infrastructure brought into sharp focus the high criticality of cyber-physical systems (CPS) and their exposure to attacks. With more time, the security industry would have been better prepared to address the cyber risks of converged CPS. However, I’d like to argue that this acceleration and the functions it forced are the silver lining of the COVID pandemic. Here’s why.
Let’s start with defining what we mean by CPS. NIST defines CPS as “comprising interacting digital, analog, physical, and human components engineered for function through integrated physics and logic.” Other phrases include IoT, Industrial Internet, Smart Cities, Smart Grid and "Smart" Anything (e.g., cars, buildings, homes, manufacturing, hospitals, appliances).
For simplicity, these categories can be referred to holistically as the Extended IoT (XIoT), with three main components:
1. Industrial IoT (IIoT) and operational technology (OT) are all the cyber-physical processes and equipment such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs) that support critical processes in industrial environments. These systems are connected internally to workstations that can typically be accessed remotely for maintenance; other cyber components include IIoT devices such as smart sensors. The 16 critical infrastructure sectors as defined by CISA – from manufacturing to energy to transportation – rely on these interconnected processes and systems.
2. Healthcare IoT includes medical imaging equipment such as MRI machines and CT scanners, as well as internet of medical things (IoMT) devices such as smart vitals monitors and infusion pumps that support critical care delivery in healthcare environments. These systems are usually connected to organizations’ IT networks.
3. All other IoT devices used in smart cities, smart grids, Enterprise IoT, and smart “anything.”
Continue reading: https://www.securityweek.com/covid%E2%80%99s-silver-lining-acceleration-extended-iot
Most experts agree that over the past two years, COVID has accelerated digital transformation significantly – by five to 10 years – as has the convergence of physical and digital assets. Ransomware attacks against hospitals, oil pipelines, food supply chains, and other critical infrastructure brought into sharp focus the high criticality of cyber-physical systems (CPS) and their exposure to attacks. With more time, the security industry would have been better prepared to address the cyber risks of converged CPS. However, I’d like to argue that this acceleration and the functions it forced are the silver lining of the COVID pandemic. Here’s why.
Let’s start with defining what we mean by CPS. NIST defines CPS as “comprising interacting digital, analog, physical, and human components engineered for function through integrated physics and logic.” Other phrases include IoT, Industrial Internet, Smart Cities, Smart Grid and "Smart" Anything (e.g., cars, buildings, homes, manufacturing, hospitals, appliances).
For simplicity, these categories can be referred to holistically as the Extended IoT (XIoT), with three main components:
1. Industrial IoT (IIoT) and operational technology (OT) are all the cyber-physical processes and equipment such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs) that support critical processes in industrial environments. These systems are connected internally to workstations that can typically be accessed remotely for maintenance; other cyber components include IIoT devices such as smart sensors. The 16 critical infrastructure sectors as defined by CISA – from manufacturing to energy to transportation – rely on these interconnected processes and systems.
2. Healthcare IoT includes medical imaging equipment such as MRI machines and CT scanners, as well as internet of medical things (IoMT) devices such as smart vitals monitors and infusion pumps that support critical care delivery in healthcare environments. These systems are usually connected to organizations’ IT networks.
3. All other IoT devices used in smart cities, smart grids, Enterprise IoT, and smart “anything.”
Continue reading: https://www.securityweek.com/covid%E2%80%99s-silver-lining-acceleration-extended-iot
