Cybersecurity Considerations for Digital Twin Implementations
attack surface) for software, risk of
Intellectual Property (IP) theft and exposure
of critical processes.
I NTRODUCTION
Digital twins are a prime example of how
Industry 4.0 is transforming the industrial
and manufacturing industries and creating a
vast number of opportunities and
efficiencies within these sectors. Previously,
only the domain of large enterprises due to
the expense of the computing resources
required for development, digital twins are
now rising in popularity across a range of
market segments. As digital twins increase in
availability
and
operation,
many
organizations are looking to digital twin
technology as a means to improve efficiency,
prevent or manage downtime and,
potentially, to monitor for attack against the
real system. Therefore, it is not surprising
that Gartner identified digital twins as one of
its “Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for
2019.” 1
As a result, companies innovating with
Industry 4.0 have become extremely viable
targets for nefarious actors. Recent research
of 220 security decision makers in industrial
and
manufacturing
organizations,
conducted by Irdeto and Vanson Bourne,
found that 79% of those surveyed have
experienced an IoT-focused cyberattack in
the past year. 3 With this in mind, it is clear
that connected systems and software can be
exploited (sometimes easily) for ill intent, if
control falls into the wrong hands.
Organizations must therefore seriously
consider the security implications of a digital
twin and take a new approach to security.
The rise of digital twins is part of a wider
smart technology revolution in the industrial
and manufacturing sectors, with a recent
Smart Factory Market report by Markets and
Markets projecting that the smart factory
market will be valued at USD 205.42 Billion
by 2022. 2 Although the benefits of the wider
use of digital twins and smart technology are
clear,
as
with
any
technological
advancement based on connectivity, it also
increases the number of vulnerabilities (or
1
Gartner, Gartner Identifies the Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2019, October 2018,
https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2018-10-15-gartner-identifies-the-top-10-strategic-technology-trends-
for-2019
2
Markets
&
Markets,
Smart
Factory
Market
worth
https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/smart-factory.asp
$244.8
billion
by
2024,
March
2019,
3
Irdeto, Irdeto Global Connected Industries Cybersecurity Survey, May 2019, https://go.irdeto.com/connected-industries-
cybersecurity-survey-report/
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November 2019