As industries increasingly go digital, it presents the reality that the technology used to make work more efficient could also face cyber threats. That’s true of manufacturing, where sensors and artificial intelligence are increasingly playing a role.

“That’s the future of manufacturing,” said Dr. Nilanjan Banerjee, a professor of computer science and electrical engineering at UMBC. “Unfortunately what that also means is it opens up the manufacturing ecosystem and the supply chain to various cyber threats.”

Manufacturing, alongside industries like healthcare and banking, has been affected by some of the most notorious ransomware attacks of recent years. Equally, the systems that run shop floors and the IP present in designs for products are required create inviting targets for attackers. Banerjee cited one example of an attack where an attacker could shut down a plant, or begin making faulty parts.

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