Pet Food Processing - May 2024 - 69

All the automation equipment
is networked - it's now visible
on the facility's network. "
Adam Pichoff, Allpax
" While a plant environment may be hardened or even
air-gapped (a tactic used to physically disconnect a network
or device), threat actors have become creative in their attempts, "
Banks said. " This could be a USB drop (leaving a
device in a public space, hoping it gets plugged in), employing
insider threats, or even war-driving parking lots hoping
to exploit wireless networks used by WHM applications or
other operational software solutions. "
Achieving next-generation security
Going forward, cybersecurity will continue to focus on vulnerabilities
in operational technologies, and company leaders
are beginning to focus on these risks.
" I think boards of directors are starting to understand
that we've been spending all this money on enterprise cybersecurity,
but it's really been enterprise cybersecurity on
the business side and not the OT side, " Agee said. " They are
starting to realize that we've got to protect OT. "
Not only that, but the risk of ransomware is only getting
stronger.
" Ransomware as a service is something that's grown exponentially
over the past years, " Thompson said. " It's going
to keep increasing because the costs are really low, and
the gains for cybercriminals are really high. That will be, at
least for the foreseeable future, the biggest risk to pet food
manufacturers. "
Investors are also considering the impact of attacks, and
the Securities and Exchange Commission has begun requiring
publicly traded companies to report a cyber offense with
materiality, as well as annual information on cybersecurity
risk management.
Greater regulatory protection against attacks will be necessary
going forward as there are no infrastructure laws regarding
cybersecurity, Hoffman said. The government prosecutes
once an attack has happened, but he said there are no
Department of Defense-level efforts to fend off bad actors
prior to attacks.
Having a knowledgeable cybersecurity team on staff will
also help pet food manufacturers mitigate risks, Hoffman
added. Many companies hire consultants for security, and
he said it's important to find a competent consultant and to
spend the money to properly secure systems.
As pet food processors look to incorporate the latest innovations
into their plants, securing operational technology
and preventing ransomware will be key to preventing costly
and damaging cyberattacks.
PFP
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