The latest research paper ‘The Internet of Things in the Criminal Underground’ by IT security company Trend Micro shows that real marketplaces are currently emerging for IoT-based attacks. Especially with the rise of new transmission technologies such as 5G, the threat is likely to further increase in the medium term. During their investigations, the security researchers observed that cybercriminals were discussing possible attacks, for example on networked industrial plants, and specifically on memory-programmable controls, with the aim of proving their ability to paralyze production and to blackmail companies with such threats.

Security companies have long complained that those in charge in industrial companies give low priority to security. A study conducted by Thycotic in spring 2019, for instance, shows that the majority of CEOs view cybersecurity merely as a cost factor.