"Manufacturing is the most frequently targeted industry and a representative sector where attackers find it easy to infiltrate. The OT (Operational Technology) environment is vulnerable due to factors such as outdated operating systems, delayed patching, and misclassification of OT assets as IT."
Moon Byung-gi, head of SK Shieldus' OT Business Group, stated this at the "2026 AI Infrastructure Frontier Conference" held on the 29th at COEX in Samsung-dong, Seoul, while introducing recent cases such as security incidents in the financial sector and cyberattacks on refrigeration and freezing equipment control systems in Europe.
He said, "These are examples showing that poorly managed OT assets can become attack targets and that cyberattacks can have a direct impact not only on a company's information systems but also on actual facility operations and supply chains."
Moon noted, "Because the OT environment is directly linked to production and facility operations, successful attacks can lead to tangible operational damages such as production halts, quality degradation, and safety accidents, further highlighting the importance of security."
He added, "In particular, leveraging AI allows for faster identification of poorly managed OT assets and vulnerable segments, which can potentially increase security risks."
SK Shieldus provides OT security services tailored to various industrial sites, supporting companies in ensuring production stability and supply chain reliability.
First, it precisely analyzes the connection structures and potential risk factors within factories by identifying assets and ensuring visibility for production equipment, industrial control systems, and OT networks. Subsequently, it proactively manages threats that could lead to production halts and safety accidents by establishing vulnerability diagnostics, remote access controls, OT network protection, and anomaly detection systems.
A strength of SK Shieldus lies in its ability to diagnose actual operational risks on the manufacturing floor, going beyond simply building security solutions. Because manufacturing facilities differ in process characteristics and equipment operation methods by industry, a general security approach has limitations.
Based on an understanding of each industry's operating environment, SK Shieldus comprehensively analyzes production halt possibilities, quality impacts, and safety risks to present effective response strategies.
As AI and smart factory environments expand, SK Shieldus is strengthening integrated security services covering both IT and OT to align with the trend of broadening security management targets to include production equipment, operating systems, software, and supplier supply chains.
Beyond ensuring stability on the production floor, it supports securing supply chain reliability, export competitiveness, and business continuity, thereby underpinning sustainable digital transformation for manufacturing companies.
"With advancements in AI technology, the barrier to entry for cyberattacks is lowering and the speed of vulnerability scanning is increasing, further expanding OT security risks on the manufacturing floor," Moon said. "Based on a deep understanding of manufacturing sites and expertise in OT security, we will support domestic companies in safely advancing their digital transformation and securing competitiveness in global markets."
in TECH
