Increasingly industrial control systems depend on digital networks. IT security gaps in these complex systems can be attacked at any time.
While cyber-attacks have often enabled data theft and caused financial losses, compromised industrial control systems can also injure or kill people. An attack on a German steelwork, for example, meant that a blast furnace could no longer be controlled, posing a considerable safety risk to the plant's employees.
The psychological pressure on employees should not be underestimated, for example when the opening of an email attachment led to months of system downtime. Such attacks illustrate how important safety is for networked control systems, and that employers must also consider the potential impact on the physical and mental health of employees.