In the 5G era, closed systems are also dangerous. There is no chance to upgrade or patch.

As traditional industrial control systems and equipment with closed systems are connected to the Internet, massive industrial control systems and business systems have become the focus of cyber attacks. Traditional security protection strategies have been unable to defend the entire industrial chain against external attacks. Even if 5G can revitalize the vitality of traditional industries, it must first overcome the security risk hurdle.

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Industrial Internet needs security

There are a large number of industrial automation and information systems in the fields of energy, transportation, electricity, tap water, etc. that are indispensable in our daily lives. Once these devices and systems are attacked by hackers, it will seriously affect people's normal lives.

Not long ago, a large-scale power outage occurred in many South American countries at the same time, affecting the lives of more than 48 million people. The power outage paralyzed various public services such as the Internet, transportation, and hospitals, which had a great impact on the lives of ordinary residents. Regarding such a bizarre incident, many information security researchers said that this was caused by a cyber attack on power facilities.

If the security vulnerabilities of industrial Internet equipment are not patched promptly, they may even be exploited by terrorists, causing panic in the entire society.

A closed system is not necessarily safe

In the past year, ransomware has been spreading to industrial control equipment and industrial information systems. According to security research reports, although most industrial control systems are closed systems, they do not bring real security to industrial control equipment. At present, more than 50% of industrial control systems are running with viruses, and 100% of industrial control systems are running with vulnerabilities.

Moreover, these vulnerabilities will not be patched in the short term or even in the next few years. This is because most industrial control equipment and systems are in a state of 7x24 hours of uninterrupted operation, and there is no opportunity for system upgrades. Industrial control equipment manufacturers are not professional security vendors and rarely develop vulnerability patches.

Replacing new equipment is basically impossible. Industrial control equipment is relatively expensive, and it is unrealistic to purchase new products in large quantities in the short term. And who can guarantee that there are no unknown security vulnerabilities in the new equipment?

Multi-pronged approach to improving safety

The Industrial Internet is the main stage for 5G applications, and smart terminals using 5G networks will bring about comprehensive changes to the Industrial Internet. However, before using 5G to transform the Industrial Internet, the security of industrial control equipment and information systems must be ensured.

To solve the security problems of industrial control equipment and information systems, multiple departments, manufacturers, and industries need to work together. Under the leadership of relevant government departments, network security manufacturers test equipment and systems and provide patching and upgrading suggestions to equipment manufacturers. Equipment manufacturers and security manufacturers conduct security stress tests on new equipment before production to ensure that newly manufactured equipment is easy to upgrade in the future and relatively safe.

After all, these infrastructures are the lifeblood of the normal functioning of society, and the strongest defenses are needed against cyber attacks.

Conclusion

The White Paper on the Development of China's Industrial Information Security Industry (2018-2019) shows that the market growth rate of my country's industrial information security industry reached 33.55% in 2018. It is expected that the market growth rate will reach 19.23% in 2019, and the overall market size will increase to 9.391 billion yuan. It can be said that industrial information security has received more and more attention. At present, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is outlining a blueprint for industrial Internet security from the perspectives of policies, standards, specifications, and system frameworks.