Industrial IoT: Threats and Countermeasures - Rambus

In an IIoT scenario, an attacker could assume control of a smart actuator and knock an industrial robot out of its designated lane and speed limit – potentially damaging an assembly line or injuring operators. Device hijacking: The attacker hijacks and effectively assumes control of a device. These attacks are quite difficult to detect because the attacker does not change the basic functionality of the device. Moreover, it only takes one device to potentially re-infect others, for example, smart meters connected to a grid. In an IIoT scenario, a hijacker could assume control of a smart meter and use the compromised device to launch ransomware attacks against Energy Management Systems (EMSs) or illegally siphon unmetered power lines.