This article has been written as sub-assignment of an Executive MBA-Module about cyber security and Artificial Intelligence.

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In this blog I would like to raise your awareness about cyber security. Also, in our mechanized factories IT and OT play a bigger role every day. From automated planning, to reporting quality and from controlling the machines in gathering real time data for continuous improvement efforts. Everything we do is in one or the other way linked or connected to an IT system.

On the one hand this is a great good which enables us to improve our products and services for our customers. But in 2022 we´ve also seen that one of the big suppliers of Forklift trucks has been attacked and had to deal with ransomware software. For a period, they were not able to plan any service request and they could not even call using their landlines. These kinds of hacks can happen to anyone, and unfortunately also to us.

Is this something to worry about? Not perse, but it is certainly something to prepare for. Therefore we would like to share the following thoughts with you:

1. How do we prevent a hack?
2. If we will be hacked, what do we have to do?
3. How to ensure our business can continue?

Let’s start with the prevention

As the old saying goes: Prevention is better than cure. This also applies in the case of cybersecurity. Since hackers become smarter and smarter, we also must behave cleverly. This is one of the reasons why we installed the policy of regular password changes and the two-way authentication. This also one of the reasons that we will ask you to pay attention to your mail and documents you get in your day-to-day work:

• When you do not know the sender, do not click on a link.
• When there is anything suspicious in a mail call the sender.
• Share information and documents via our approved devices and channels.

These are the simple steps we all already take and must be keen on.

In the coming months we will inform you on a regular basis what threats we have seen and what we have prevented. So, you will all stay aware of the attempts we have blocked. And finally: if you’ve any malicious mail or other suspicious activity on your computer: please report it to our IT Department. So, we can investigate and if needed take the necessary counter measures.

2. But what if…?

In the world of cybersecurity, the information is not evenly distributed. If someone would like to hack us, they can try whatever they want, whenever they want. And until a hack is successful, we do not know when or where someone is going to hack us. But what we do know is that if something happens, we must act fast. In response to a crisis this is called “the golden hour.” Luckily, we do not face a lot of crises, but when we encounter one, we must know how we must respond. Therefore, we need to realize what the value of factual communication is.

In an actual crisis our response will be as follows: As soon as we have declared a (cyber) crisis we will ensemble a crisis team. Within this team we will respond while using the “BOB-model.” This model is a Dutch abbreviation for the three repeating steps in crisis handling:

• Beeldvorming – (Imaging)
• Oordeelsvorming – (Judgement)
• Besluitvorming – (Decision making)

The aim of sharing this model with you is that we need to be aware that good and precise communication in a crisis situation. Since this is vital for solving the crisis at hand.

Based on the nature of the crisis there will be a lot of communication in slightly other ways than we are used to. It can be via phone, or in spoken communication. To make sure that we all know the drill, we will practice a crisis situation on short notice. This will be comparable with a rehearsal as we do with our company emergency response services. The better we are prepared, the better we can respond when it is needed. The learnings of this rehearsals, and how to communicate in a real crisis will be shared via the regular memo´s and app updates.

3. How to get back to Business

To get back in business after a crisis, we must ensure that we have access to our current data. And therefore we must act now. We must create backups on a regular basis. And since our industry is transforming into a digital era it is important to protect our company sensitive digital information as well.

There will be a lot of communication involved to ensure that everything is clear and safe from personal and digital perspectives.

To summarize: Is digital security something to worry about?

Let us be aware and prepared. Then we do not have to worry but we will

1. Stay alert, and report when you have any suspicious activity,
2. Act fast, when you assume you have been hacked: these first minutes are of utmost importance to prevent escalation of the crisis or to set up the crisis-response team.
3. Make sure the back-ups and response scenarios are available.

And in the meantime, we continue to make our strong and beautiful products in order “To build our concrete sustainable future together.”

If you´ve any additional questions: please let us know.

In the meantime, stay safe and “don’t take candy from strangers” 😉

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Publicatie: 10 april 2022

Auteur: Jan Visser