Industry 4.0-based critical infrastructure and the NIS Directive

Abstract

Industrial automatization and robotization make the manufacturing and all industrial processes more effective and robust. Industrial control systems consist of many specific computer-based elements, behaving somewhat differently than business IT. They can be used in many sectors and, from the regulatory aspect, might be controlled by more EU regulations. The NIS Directive currently has the base role of prescribing the obligation for Member States to address cybersecurity issues. However, in spite of security controls, threat actors try to compromise ICT services and infrastructure, causing confidentiality, integrity, or availability-related security incidents. These attacks may cause not only financial loss but also more complex effects may arise, as analyzed in the paper.