Mining Magazine August 2020 | Page 18

THIRD-PARTY ACCESS
PROTECTING THE MINING INDUSTRY
DIGITAL MINING
18

“ A recent EY Global Information Security Survey revealed that 54 % of mining and metal companies suffered a significant cybersecurity incident in the last year ”

— Andrea Carcano , Co-Founder & CPO , Nozomi Networks
of campaigns are designed to trick users into downloading malware or divulging confidential information .
THIRD-PARTY ACCESS
Third-party vendors often provide support services for mining companies , such as equipment assembly or maintenance . However , unless properly managed and audited , third parties can pose a significant threat to operations . For example , a third party could provide an entry point for malicious software or create system vulnerabilities through weak credentials . Therefore , organisations need to vet their third-party vendors and ensure they follow standard cybersecurity practices before allowing access to internal systems .
PROTECTING THE MINING INDUSTRY
Mine operators need to detect and evade cyber attacks before they disrupt production , result in potential danger to life , damage equipment or cause a loss of Intellectual property ( IP ). However , the convergence of IT and OT systems has eliminated the security blanket of a fully air-gapped system . As a result , operators need to take a massive step up to implement defences that will detect and manage cyber threats .
OT network segmentation can be used to mitigate risk and prevent intentional or accidental OT cyber incidents from spreading . However , effective segmentation requires full visibility into the network and insight into where vulnerabilities are .
Therefore , to reduce risk and build operational resilience , mines must
SUMMER / AUTUMN 2020