Trend Micro Research Identifies Critical Industry 4.0 Attack Methods

Research report outlines advanced attack scenarios and recommendations for OT operators

 

HONG KONG, CHINA – Media OutReach – 12 May
2020 – Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704),
today released research describing how advanced hackers could leverage
unconventional, new attack vectors to sabotage smart manufacturing
environments.

For this report, Trend Micro Research worked with
Politecnico di Milano in its Industry 4.0 lab, which houses real manufacturing
equipment from industry leaders, to demonstrate how malicious threat actors can
exploit existing features and security flaws in Industrial IoT (IIoT)
environments for
espionage of financial gain.

“Past
manufacturing cyber attacks have used traditional malware that can be stopped
by regular network and endpoint protection. However, advanced attackers are
likely to develop Operational Technology (OT) specific attacks designed to fly
under the radar,” said Bill Malik, vice president of infrastructure strategies
for Trend Micro. “As our research shows, there are multiple vectors now exposed
to such threats, which could result in major financial and reputational damage
for Industry 4.0 businesses. The answer is IIoT-specific security designed to
root out sophisticated, targeted threats.”

“Politecnico di Milano is fully
committed to supporting Industry 4.0 in addressing crucial aspects related to
security and reliability of automated and advanced controls, especially as they
gain relevance in all production sectors and increasingly impact business,” said
Giacomo Tavola, Contract
Professor in Design and Management of Production Systems and Stefano Zanero,
Associate professor in Advanced Cybersecurity Topics for Politecnico di Milano.

Critical
smart manufacturing equipment relies primarily on proprietary systems, however
these machines have the computing power of traditional IT systems. They are
capable of much more than the purpose for which they are deployed, and
attackers are able to exploit this power. The computers primarily use
proprietary languages to communicate, but just like with IT threats, the
languages can be used to input malicious code, traverse through the network, or
steal confidential information without being detected.

Though smart
manufacturing systems are designed and deployed to be isolated, this seclusion
is eroding as IT and OT converge. Due to the intended separation, there is a
significant amount of trust built into the systems and therefore very few
integrity checks to keep malicious activity out.

 

The systems
and machines that could be taken advantage of include the manufacturing
execution system (MES), human machine interfaces (HMIs), and customizable IIoT
devices. These are potential weak links in the security chain and could be
exploited in such a way to damage produced goods, cause malfunctions, or alter
workflows to manufacture defective products.

 

The report
offers a detailed set of defense and mitigation measures, including:

 

• Deep packet inspection that supports OT protocols to identify
  anomalous payloads at the network level
• Integrity checks run regularly on endpoints to identify any
  altered software components
• Code-signing on IIoT devices to include dependencies such as
  third-party libraries
• Risk analysis to extend beyond physical safety to automation
  software
• Full chain of trust for data and software in smart manufacturing
  environments
• Detection tools to recognize
  vulnerable/malicious logic for complex manufacturing
  machines
• Sandboxing and privilege separation for software on industrial
  machines

To find out
more and read the full report, please visit: https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/hk/security/news/internet-of-things/threats-and-consequences-a-security-analysis-of-smart-manufacturing-systems.

About Trend Micro

Trend Micro
Incorporated, a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, helps to make the
world safe for exchanging digital information. Our innovative solutions for
consumers, businesses, and governments provide layered security for data
centers, cloud environments, networks, and endpoints. All our products work
together to seamlessly share threat intelligence and provide a connected threat
defense with centralized visibility and control, enabling better, faster
protection. With more than 6,000 employees in over 50 countries and the world’s
most advanced global threat intelligence, Trend Micro secures your connected
world. For more information, visit www.trendmicro.com.hk.

About Politecnico di Milano

Politecnico di
Milano is a scientific-technological university which trains engineers,
architects and industrial designers. The University has always focused on the
quality and innovation of its teaching and research, developing a fruitful
relationship with business and productive world by means of experimental
research and technological transfer. Research has always been linked to
didactics and it is a priority commitment which has allowed Politecnico di
Milano to achieve high quality results at an international level as to join the
university to the business world. Research constitutes a parallel path to that
formed by cooperation and alliances with the
industrial system. For more information, visit www.polimi.it.