Seminar addresses cyber security threats for manufacturers

Eight manufacturers from across the UK have received a critical insight into cyber security as part of the latest seminar hosted by PP Control & Automation.

Held in conjunction with The Processing and Packaging Machinery Trade Association (PPMA) and Telford-based Phoenix Contact, the interactive workshop highlighted how easy it is to hack into a system and some of the measures firms can take to prevent it from happening to them.

The presentations, led by cyber security specialist Gareth Chamberlain, also talked through the new threats being posed by vulnerabilities in the adoption of Industry 4.0 and IOT.

“As technology and automation advances, so does the malicious intent of online criminals, so businesses need to start acting now before it is too late,” explained Ian Knight, chief technical & information officer at PP Control & Automation.

“This seminar attracted 16 senior level delegates from eight manufacturers, and the feedback we got was extremely positive, ranging from ‘excellent’ to ‘scary’. The live demonstrations went down especially well as I think it brought it home to people what can happen.

“65% of major UK businesses have had security breaches – if that doesn’t get you worried nothing will.”

Mr Chamberlain concluded: “A few hours where your systems are down through a ‘hack’ can cost you hundreds if not thousands of pounds, as well as crucial, confidential data and customer trust. The true impact can be catastrophic.

“The only way we can properly combat this is to understand what we’re up against and use that knowledge to come up with the best course of action. This is exactly what we started to address during the workshop.”

PP Control & Automation will launch a new series of seminars in January 2018, working with its technical partners to help machinery builders keep on top of breaking trends and current challenges holding them back.

PP Control & Automation www.ppandca.com