Excerpt from Automated Buildings, October, 2014 Edition. Article written by Marc Petock, Vice President, Marketing Lynxspring & Connexx Energy. Go to LynxSpring CyberPro Newsroom for the latest cyber security information.
How many organizations still treat cybersecurity as they did 11 years ago? How about five years ago? Or even as a year ago? Shockingly, most companies are still relying on outdated, only partially effective methods.
While buildings are smarter and more connected than ever before, when it comes to cybersecurity, they are stuck in the 1980s. Today’s connected business world means there are thousands of entry points in and out of companies. It is impossible to miss the continued headlines on the latest breaches and cyberattacks. We have witnessed that BMS and EMS technology have weaknesses, such as inadequate password protection, software that can be breached and various unmonitored/unprotected access points within the network. Cyberattacks today are more sophisticated and targeted than ever before.The truth is that network security and the security of devices and systems do not work as well as we thought.
Cybersecurity protection and defense prevention for building automation systems and the operational technology that operate and manage our facilities is now a necessity and should not be treated differently than an IT network when it comes to cybersecurity. Just like an IT network, building automation networks should have multiple layers of defense and protection as well as policies and procedures that are continuously addressed. In fact, cybersecurity should be an integral part of the design of intelligent buildings and today’s building automation system and not an afterthought; it has gone from a nice-to-have to a must-have.
When it comes to cybersecurity, there are three types of companies (a) those that have been hacked and admit it, (b) those that have been hacked and don’t admit it, and (c) those that will soon be hacked. Click here for the rest of the article.
Another great source for Cybersecurity information and guidance: Official website of the Department of Homeland Security.
