As Pescatore explained, “Anything from the DVR cable box


in your house to the drone you fly over worksites for photos, and even to fleet vehicles with GPS and other internet-connected systems, are considered part of the IoT.”


Te industrial and manufacturing sector has seen an explosion of data-gathering technology that is plugged directly into online networks. Te growth of IoT in the industrial sector has, predictably, lead to a corresponding growth in cyber-attacks against these businesses. Every new digitally connected device at a workplace can be seen by a hacker as a potential access point to sensitive information. Just this March in Washington, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced new legislation aimed at establishing a set


“ALL TOO OFTEN, BUSINESSES THAT DO MINIMAL WORK ONLINE OR THAT ARE NOT IN TRADITIONALLY HIGH-TECH ENVIRONMENTS ASSUME THAT THEY WON’T BE THE TARGETS OF A CYBER-ATTACK.”


32 MAY–JUNE 2019 WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE


of cybersecurity requirements for IoT devices purchased and used by federal agencies. If IoT is being taken seriously at the federal level, then private enterprises should also take heed. Another leading cybersecurity research and education firm,


Trend Micro, recently released a study detailing how vulnerable older technologies, in particular radio frequency (RF) controllers, are to hackers interested in infiltrating and exploiting a company’s physical equipment. “Te report found that most RF controllers are less secure than a consumer-grade garage door opener,” explained Bill Malik, vice president of Infrastructure Strategies at Trend Micro. “Tese devices can be taken over with simple, cheap radio gear.” Trend Micro’s research teams visited multiple construction sites, and, to the chagrin of many operators, were able to infiltrate and take control of onsite machinery. “Tere are millions of vulnerable RF controllers in use,” Malik stated, “and many control heavy equipment like building cranes, oil and gas drilling rigs, and mining equipment.” Of course, Trend Micro’s team performed their experiment in


a safe, controlled environment, but, if a malicious entity managed to hack critical industrial equipment, they could not only damage expensive machinery, but also seriously endanger employees.


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