In modern industrial environments, the rise of virtual replicas, often referred to as digital twins, of industrial automation and control systems (IACS) and operational technology (OT) assets offers a powerful combination of efficiency, monitoring and predictive capabilities. Yet these advantages come with serious risk.

Digital twins expand the attack surface, increase complexity and introduce novel cybersecurity challenges that, if addressed improperly, can threaten both virtual systems and the physical infrastructure they represent.

The Importance of Digital Twins

A digital twin is a detailed, real-time virtual representation of a physical asset or system. In industrial settings, digital twins often integrate data from Internet of Things (IoT) or Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) sensors, OT controllers, network systems and cloud-based analytics platforms. They enable monitoring, simulation, predictive maintenance and decision-making based on real-time or near-real-time data. Because a digital twin mirrors a real system, a compromise of the twin can have real-world consequences.

Why Digital Twins Expand the Attack Surface

A digital twin effectively doubles the attack surface by adding a network-accessible virtual replica to the original physical system. It can expose control interfaces, sensor data and system signals, providing attackers with potential access to previously inaccessible components. Many organizations remain unaware of all deployed twins, as teams sometimes implement them without cybersecurity oversight.

Digital twins often rely on diverse devices, platforms, vendors and legacy OT or IoT components, which increases complexity and potential vulnerabilities. Approximately 29% of global manufacturing businesses have adopted digital twin strategies. Just as automated mailroom systems from FedEx and Ricoh scaled to handle surges during the COVID-19 pandemic, digital twins manage high volumes of operational data, meaning a compromise could disrupt workflows at scale.

Key Security Challenges for Digital Twins in Industrial Automation

Digital twins inherit many vulnerabilities associated with IT and OT environments and introduce new ones due to their hybrid nature. Key risks include data integrity and authenticity threats, where manipulated input data can cause incorrect outputs or trigger flawed automation, leading to misguided decisions or unsafe operations. Unauthorized access and control are other risks. Without strong access controls, an attacker may issue commands that translate into actions on the physical system.

Disruption of service (DoS) or distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDoS) are possible, as attackers can flood, overload or disrupt communications, thereby impairing monitoring and predictive maintenance functions. Legacy or vulnerable IoT and OT infrastructure provides entry points for attackers, and interoperability and complexity issues make audits and security maintenance more challenging.

Digital twins may also process sensitive business or personal information, raising concerns about privacy, compliance and data governance, especially when third parties or external vendors are involved.

Consequences of Digital Twin Compromise

Compromises of digital twins can lead to malfunctions or sabotage of automated operations, safety hazards, operational downtime, data theft, loss of intellectual property and erosion of strategic visibility.

Since digital twins can reveal operational processes and upcoming strategies, a breach can expose invaluable insights to competitors or threat actors. Organizations cannot treat digital twins as optional models. Instead, they must be managed with the same rigor as core IT and OT systems.

Practical Guidance for Protecting Digital Twins

Implementing a digital twin for industrial automation brings benefits, but it also demands rigorous cybersecurity measures. These can help organizations embed security across the lifecycle of a digital twin, from design through deployment and ongoing operation.

Integrate Security from the Start

Treat digital twin deployment as a joint IT and OT initiative with cybersecurity team involvement from the earliest design and planning stages. Including security professionals prevents shadow deployments that escape governance. Use a risk management framework tailored to digital twins and hybrid IT and OT ecosystems to identify where sensors, gateways, cloud services and user interfaces intersect.

Apply Robust Access Controls and Identity Management

Enforce the least-privilege principle, granting access only to users or services that require it and only to the minimum necessary functions. Deploy multi-factor authentication for human access and strong authentication for service-to-service communication. Use encryption for data both at rest and in motion, especially for sensor feeds, control commands, logs and any sensitive corporate data.

Monitor for Anomalies and Apply Continuous Threat Detection

Implement intrusion detection systems and network monitoring for IoT and OT traffic, sensor data flows and interactions between digital twins and physical systems. Establish a baseline for sensor data, command flows and system responses, and regularly review any anomalies. Use sandboxing or quarantine environments for testing new patches, configuration changes or model updates before deploying them to production twins to guard against unintentional disruptions or exploitation.

Harden IoT and OT Infrastructure and Device Management

Replace default credentials on all IoT and OT devices. Ensure devices receive security updates, patches and proper configuration hygiene. Segment networks to isolate sensors, gateways and control systems from general IT or internet-facing networks. Decommission or securely retire outdated legacy devices to reduce risk, while maintaining an up-to-date inventory and documentation of all OT and IoT components tied to digital twins.

Securing Digital Twins Protects Virtual and Physical Systems

Digital twins are also expanding beyond manufacturing lines and IACS to back-office automation, supply chain workflows, resource planning, enterprise-wide process management and more. Their security is crucial to maintaining workflow integrity, ensuring data confidentiality and ensuring operational continuity. Treating digital twins with the same rigor as IT and OT systems ensures organizations harness their benefits safely while reducing exposure to cyber threats.

By embedding security from design through deployment, enforcing access controls, monitoring data flows, hardening infrastructure and integrating governance, organizations can protect both virtual and physical systems while fully leveraging the advantages of digital twins.

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