Cyber-physical security challenges in manufacturing systems

As technology progresses, cyber-physical systems are becoming susceptible to a wider range of attacks. In manufacturing, these attacks pose a significant threat to ensuring products conform to their original design intent and to maintaining the safety of equipment, employees, and consumers. This letter discusses the importance of research and development of cyber-security tools specifically designed for manufacturing. A case study of a cyber-attack on a small-scale manufacturing system is presented to (i) illustrate the ease of implementing attacks, (ii) highlight their drastic effects and (iii) demonstrate the need for educating the current and future manufacturing workforce.