Since the popularity of cybersecurity has increased so has the threat to many engineering technology systems. Not only can this apply to surveillance systems, operating systems, or banking. Cyber attacks can affect factories for example. One incident of this is an attack in Europe on Rheinmetall which services a reliable amount of industrial/automotive customers. While their defense division remained unaffected, the extent of damage to the automotive was still being investigated and was reported.

Many engineering systems still have human involvement. A manufacturer does not run on its own and therefore a cyber-related incident can not only harm the product, but also the people working there. If a company were to come to a halt or become inoperable the people working there would also become severely affected. This can also be applied to hospitals as if the technology is hacked or a virus is planted this can cause much more damage than to a machine. 

Cyber-related technology has evolved into so much more making agriculture more efficient and beneficial and cars having smarter technology detecting blind spots or sensing if the car in front is stopping suddenly initiating crash detection. Cyber has helped and impacted many different types of engineering, but without the right protection, it can cause much more harm than good. I believe people take for granted the ease of use and do not use the right measures as 1 mishape on a farm can possibly cause the whole harvest to be ruined. As far-fetched as this may seem some farmers use technology to figure out the right formula for helping crops grow and more. While cyber helps many people it can also cause just as much if not more harm, especially if the people are becoming more reliant on it. 

Resources:

Antoniuk, D. (2023, April 14). German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall confirms cyberattack. The Record from Recorded Future News. https://therecord.media/rheinmetall-cyberattack-germany-arms-manufacturer

Brearley, D. J. (2023, September 7). What is the cybersecurity impact on construction, engineering projects?. Consulting – Specifying Engineer. https://www.csemag.com/articles/what-is-the-cybersecurity-impact-on-construction-engineering-projects/

Idaho National Labratory. (n.d.). Cyber informed engineering – idaho national laboratory. https://inl.gov/content/uploads/2021/05/CIE_Nuclear-Cyber.pdf