When it comes to cybersecurity, the question is if, not when, you鈥檒l be under threat from malicious actors. In fact, manufacturing is the target for nearly one-quarter of ransomware attacks. Given that the owners, managers, and supervisors of small jobs shops and manufacturers often act as the IT staff, they don鈥檛 have the in-house expertise to establish best practices, nor do they have budget to hire expensive consultants.
Fortunately, there are trusted no- to low-cost resources and solutions 鈥斺�痑nd that鈥檚 the focus of Season 2, Episode 1 and of the &苍产蝉辫;鈥�,鈥� brought to you by Autodesk.
鈥淪mart(er) Shop鈥� features Adam Allard, senior manager of technical environments at , who oversees in Toronto, San Francisco, and Boston, and me, Ryan Kelly, the general manager for 础惭罢鈥檚 San Francisco Tech Lab, and. Its mission is to provide easy-to-deploy ideas for manufacturers, such as those offered by , the nation鈥檚 digital manufacturing and cybersecurity institute based in Chicago. The organization is part of the trusted network, and MxD offers a that anyone can implement.
For shops pursuing (CMMC 2.0) to obtain defense contracts, the visit to MxD is a must-watch, two-part episode of 鈥淪mart(er) Shop.鈥� To highlight six no- or low-cost cybersecurity practices, Allard and I connect with MxD鈥檚 senior director of cybersecurity.
What makes this two-part episode so powerful is that MxD is organized as a demonstration facility featuring equipment and systems familiar to manufacturers. Members of the MxD team literally walk us through cybersecurity challenges and best practices, starting with physical security measures to provide authorized access. of this episode also covers:
鈥淩ole-based access control鈥� for logging into a computer connected to a network
Measures to stop connecting unauthorized hardware or installing unauthorized software (sorry, no sports betting apps on that work computer)
Features a cyber process test bed that simulates a water purification process
of the episode further builds out the cybersecurity framework, starting with USB and other removable media. As an example, MxD protected the SD card slot for its 3D printer with a physical lock designed in house and printed on the machine it protects. Next, MxD鈥檚 鈥渃yber wall鈥� demonstrates what security looks like in an average shop 鈥斺�痑nd how to make it better with 鈥渁llow-listing software鈥� that prevents malware from running. The last stop on the MxD factory floor tour simulates a 鈥渟pecial use鈥� environment, which may be required for U.S. Department of Defense work or for areas with restricted access due to the presence of materials such as certain metal powders used for additive manufacturing.
The episode concludes with the free tools available on the , and I learn a painful lesson about what happens to people who leave their visitor passes behind (yes, you do need those stinking badges).
In addition to cybersecurity, Season 2 of 鈥淪mart(er) Shop鈥� features on connected solutions for manufacturers of all sizes, and highlights a low-cost 鈥渞obots-as-a-service鈥� solution for a vexing QC scenario. Watch all episodes at .
