Cyberattacks are on the increase and are here to stay. In this scenario Spain is a clear target at the level of companies, institutions and government authorities. For this very reason industry professionals acknowledged at the 360º Industry Security Conference that they are now investing in cybersecurity and modifying their strategy to head off any risks.

The three trade reviews “Seguritecnia”, “Red Seguridad” and “Formación de Seguridad Laboral”, together with the Industrial Cybersecurity Center (Centro de Ciberseguridad Industrial: CCI), put on between them this industry-focused conference that looked at security from a logical, physical and labor point of view.

Javier Zubieta, Cybersecurity Business Development Manager at GMV Secure e-Solutions summed up as follows the thrust being given to cybersecurity from the so-called Industry 4.0: "At last there is awareness, there are budgets to work with, there is a sense of vulnerability to cyber-risks and a forward-looking legislative drive”.

During his lecture Zubieta clearly spelt out the risks run by internet-connected industry, such as the botnet Mirai, which at the end of last year harnessed a million-strong army of IP cameras to bombard a service provider, affecting such giants as Twitter and Amazon, or the ransomware virus campaign that recently dented the reputation of one of Spain’s main electricity companies.

"We need to raise the level of industrial cybersecurity and also the level of information protection", argued Zubieta, who reminded his audience that right now industrial cybersecurity is encumbered by "ancient systems that do not run on the latest versions, where the manufacturer has a mighty clout and clients are not enabled to take their own decisions".

During the rest of the conference experts dealt with such issues as the importance of having a cybersecurity manager (someone who analyzes and manages risks), the need for a risk-prevention strategy and the new European NIS directive (which is aimed at essential services and digital-service providers).