Opportunities, Challenges and Strategies for Integrating Cyber Security and Safety in Engineering Practice

The emergence of Industry 4.0, Industry IoT (IIoT), Internet of Everything (IoE), Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) have created a paradigm shift in the way we design, develop, operate and manage engineering systems. At present, most of the legacy and modern engineering systems/applications are connected via Internet or private networks to provide an efficient service as well as to manage the system productively (e.g., automation). Even though, these interconnected systems pave the way for more technological and business opportunities, these also introduce additional risks to the system and outcome. For instance, unauthorised access to a CPS could end up in a disaster and malicious access to a SMART home application could have an adverse impact on the individuals at home. Prior to the wider deployment of internet, everyone was concerned about the health and safety of the system or its output. With the network (both Internet and internal networks) being the primary command and control channel or the mechanism for automation, the importance of integrating cyber security with health and safety practices has become a priority. In response, it is understood and agreed in general that having good cyber security always help to achieve better health and safety from engineering systems. This article elaborates on the challenges, opportunities and strategies to integrate cyber security and safety in engineering best practices.