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28 BioPharm International eBook October 2020 www.biopharminternational.com Tackling Cybersecurity Challenges in Legacy Systems Ongoing and emerging cyber-risks to legacy operational technology systems in bio/pharmaceutical manufacturing must be addressed. C yberattacks affect all businesses, orga- nizations and institutions; a 2019 study by Accenture showed that there was an 11% increase in security breaches in 2018 compared to 2017, and the average cost of cybercrime to an organization increased US$1.4 million to US$13.0 million over the same period (1). The increase in cyber-attacks, coupled with a drive toward increased digitalization across industries, is making cyber-risk more complex and puts the need for effective cybersecurity measures high on the business agenda across all sectors. In the bio/pharmaceutical industry, cybersecurity is of vital importance because any delays to the develop- ment and delivery of lifesaving medicines and treat- ments could compromise public health. The urgent need to develop vaccines and treatments to combat the COVID-19 pandemic only serves to underline the importance for bio/pharma facilities to ensure that manufacturing is uninterrupted. CHALLENGES As bio/pharma manufacturers make their operations and networks increasingly streamlined and intercon- nected, there is a need to connect older facilities to the supply chain. In turn, this means that operational technolog y (OT) cybersecurity measures must be introduced to legacy systems to support archaic equip- ment, older operating systems, and decades-old proto- Robert Brokamp is director Automation Services and Adi Karisik is global technology leader for Operational Technology, both at Jacobs. ROBERT BROKAMP AND ADI KARISIK Regulatory Sourcebook Data Integrity MichaelTraitov - Stock.adobe.com