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considered, together with disabling any AutoRun feature to prevent inadvertent
installation of unauthorised software on to the network inside the firewall.
Anti-virus software should be considered a core requirement but must be updated
on a regular interval. In addition, all incoming emails and attachments should be
scanned for malware or other security problems.
All computer operating systems and applications should be updated with latest
security patch provided by original equipment manufactuer or software provider.
As highlighted in Table 11.3, this may prove to be not possible on all systems, in
these cases extra provision against the introduction of viruses or other software
problems should be considered as a priority.

Due to the widespread use of networks considerable thought should be given to the
firewall protection required. Firewalls establish a barrier between secured and controlled
internal networks that can be trusted and any external networks. In practice a firewall is
a network security device or software package that monitors the network traffic and
decides whether to allow or block specific traffic based on a defined set of security rules.
The underlying principle are based around the definitions provided by the TCP/IP
model. For example, the firewall could reject a message packet if it does not conform to
certain predetermined parameters, for example its senders address is on a black list or
contains the signature of a piece of malware. Again, the system must be updated on
a regular basic to ensure the latest virus or threat can be contained.
Maintaining the security of any system is a continual process (and cost) as attackers
will have the resources (people or money) to discover new vulnerabilities. These at-
tackers will go on to develop bespoke tools and techniques to exploit any vunerability
howver minor; such vulnerabilities enable them to bypass the basic security controls as
mentioned above. To protect against these bespoke attacks will organisations will need
to invest in a more holistic approach to security, such as that outlined in the 10 Steps to
Cyber Security (GCHQ, 2016).

11.6 Concluding comments

This chapter concludes the examination of the application of modern drive systems to
machine-tool and robotic systems. This brief examination of controllers and the
advantages presented by networking and the Industry 4.0 approach should give
designers an appreciation of the considerable computational power which is available in
modern systems. However, irrespective of the controller and the drive, the overall
performance of a system is as only as good as the weakest link in the chain, the best AI
based system cannot overcome the selection of an undersized drive that is not capable of
accelerating a load at the required specification. Designers therefore must have a clear
understanding of the performance specification prior to entering the design and
development process. In certain aspects, the controller is the key element, because it
provides a direct interface with the user; topics such as user interfaces have not been
considered here, but they do need to be reviewed as part of any design process.