It’s been over a year since we’ve talked about cybersecurity on Manufacturing Happy Hour, and with AI changing the game completely, we’re overdue for a refresh. Around 80% of the global industry doesn’t have basic defense at the edge of their networks, which is a sobering statistic.
Felipe Sabino Costa, Senior Product Manager for Networking and Cybersecurity at Moxa, joins the show to break down why Operational Technology (OT) security matters more than ever. Manufacturers need to transmit massive amounts of data for AI and predictive analytics, but they’re working with 15–20-year-old infrastructure that wasn’t built for this.
The good news is, Felipe shares practical frameworks like NIST and IEC 62443 (which he compares to nutrition labels) that help manufacturers build security into their operations.
The key takeaway? There’s no silver bullet; it’s about building layers of defense and finding the right partners to guide you through this increasingly complex landscape.
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3 Quick Things from this Episode
- Most manufacturers think their networks are air-gapped, but if you have even one connection sending data to another cloud or another factory, you’re not air-gapped anymore. Around 80% of global industry lacks basic security protection at the edge where it matters most.
- AI has transformed cyberattacks. Hackers can now use AI to create phishing emails without the typos and inconsistencies that used to give them away and develop malware that can adapt its attack strategy on the fly based on what it encounters in your system.
- It may be helpful to think of security certifications like IEC 62443 as nutrition labels for cybersecurity products. Just like you’d check ingredients and nutritional values on food packaging, these certifications help you quickly understand and compare the security features across different products to make informed decisions.
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Tweetable Quotes
- “We used to be air-gapped or isolated. And many of the companies, they still think that they are, but they are not anymore. To be really air-gapped, I shouldn’t have any way to send data.”
- “Give and take, 80% of the global industry, including the US, does not have these specific layers of defense. They have some defense, but they have nearly zero protection close to the process itself.”
- “There is no silver bullet. We are seeing this shift right from how we used to do security. A strategy should be way more sophisticated.”
Please Scroll Down for Recommended Resources from this Episode
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Hexagon is the global leader in precision technologies at any scale. Their digital twins, robotics, and AI solutions are transforming the industries that shape our reality. Learn how Hexagon is helping unlock next level innovation, bringing the power of automation, simulation, and real-time quality control to the smallest shop floor or the largest enterprise.
What We Discuss with Felipe
- Why OT data has shifted from historical logging to real-time predictive power
- The bandwidth issue hitting intelligent transportation systems and semiconductor manufacturing
- How AI enables attackers to adapt their attacks in real-time
- Why 80-85% of global industry lacks protection
- Felipe’s nutrition label analogy for understanding security certifications
- The difference between thinking your air-gapped and actually being air-gapped
- Why defense requires multiple layers of security
- Felipe’s outlook on the future of OT networks
Recommended Resources
- OT Network Security: Investment & Segmentation Strategies, a webinar addresses the financial and operational risks posed by cyber threats while offering hands-on guidance for OT network security
- Futureproof Industrial Networks, a website shares how to design and implement a robust, secure, and efficient network infrastructure that can meet the demands of modern industrial environments and optimize operational processes
- Moxa, delivering the reliable and secure connectivity foundation that advanced analytics and AI depend on, with solutions in edge connectivity, industrial computing, and network infrastructure
Connect with Felipe and Moxa
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