FIMobile work machines have rapidly evolved from purely mechanical devices into networked software platforms. Remote diagnostics, cloud services, over-the-air (OTA) updates, and autonomous functions bring efficiency and new capabilities to machine operation. At the same time, they introduce a new category of risk: cybersecurity.
This shift is also clearly visible in software development and testing. Cybersecurity is no longer a separate discipline; it is increasingly directly linked to the operational safety of the machine.
The moment a machine is connected to a network, potential cyber threats emerge. In mobile work machines, the issue is not merely that “data might leak,” but also how an attack could affect the machine’s behavior. For this reason, cybersecurity is more and more closely intertwined with functional and operational safety.
Why Connectivity Changes the Nature of Risk
Malicious software can enter a machine through multiple paths: via a service technician’s laptop through a diagnostic port, wirelessly, or as part of a software update. In many cases, the software has passed through several intermediaries before installation. As a result, there may be more points of contamination than initially assumed, and they are not always located within the machine itself.
Connectivity does not mean only the cloud, but also local networks at the worksite. A machine may share a network with service tools, site IT equipment, cameras, and measurement devices. If the network is poorly secured or accessible, an attacker may attempt to intercept communication between the machine and the services it uses, redirect traffic to the wrong destination, or exploit already permitted connections between service tools and the machine. In such cases, physical access to the machine is not always required—network-level access may be sufficient.
Therefore, protection cannot be limited to merely “hardening the cloud connection.” The entire chain must be considered: how software is developed, how it is distributed, how it is installed, and how updates are carried out. If these aspects are not under control, cyber risk does not remain just an IT problem—it can directly impact how the machine operates.
As machine behavior is increasingly driven by software and connectivity, cybersecurity is no longer only about protecting data. It also defines how the machine behaves when conditions change or when someone attempts to interfere with its operation.
Cyber Risk Becomes a Safety Risk
Traditionally, safety risks in work machines have focused on mechanical failures, hydraulics, or electrical systems. In connected, software-driven machines, a new perspective emerges: a cyberattack can influence control logic or decision-making—in other words, how the machine behaves during operation.
Typical scenarios include a malicious update, a compromised remote connection, or a malfunction caused by service outages. The “easiest” consequence may be a production stoppage, but in the worst case the impact affects operational safety. If control behaves unpredictably or decisions are made based on incorrect data, the risks directly affect the operator and those working nearby.
This also changes the starting point for testing. Devices are no longer tested only under normal operating conditions, but also in situations where they are intentionally forced to behave incorrectly. In practice, this means simulating misuse of remote connections, injecting incorrect data, or testing disruptions in the update chain.
The essential question becomes: does the system remain safe even when something is deliberately made to go wrong?
New Requirements for Software Testing
Cybersecurity introduces testing concerns that traditional functional testing alone does not cover. For mobile work machines, attack surfaces, resilience, and lifecycle management are particularly critical.
Cybersecurity is also not merely an architecture or design issue. Ultimately, what matters is how the system behaves in practice. This is why cybersecurity requirements must be verifiable through testing.
Identifying and Testing Potential Attack Surfaces
A modern work machine has multiple interfaces through which attacks may be possible:
- CAN bus and other internal networks
- Service and diagnostic ports
- Wireless connections
- Cloud-related APIs and mobile applications
Development must ensure that unauthorized actions cannot be performed through these interfaces. In testing, this translates into verifying authentication and access control, conducting misuse tests of interfaces, and analyzing vulnerabilities.
In some cases, controlled attack simulations are extremely valuable. Simulators make it possible to test scenarios that would be difficult or risky to perform in real environments. This allows teams to observe how the system actually responds to malicious data or contaminated software.
Resilience and Safe Failure Behavior
In cybersecurity, it is not only important whether an attack can succeed, but also what happens if it does.
- What does the machine do if malicious code or data is introduced?
- What happens if positioning or sensor data is disrupted?
- What if a remote connection is lost or a service becomes unavailable?
A safe system transitions into a controlled state and does not make dangerous decisions based on untrusted information. Testing must therefore include intentionally broken scenarios.
In practice, this means test cases that simulate disturbances, outages, and incorrect input data, and verifying that behavior remains safe even in exceptional situations.
Update and Lifecycle Security
The lifecycle of work machines can range from a few years to several decades. Software may be updated regularly throughout the lifecycle, or in some cases hardly at all. Both approaches carry their own cybersecurity risks.
If software is not updated, known vulnerabilities remain unaddressed. If software is updated, the update process itself must be reliable—otherwise the update channel may become an attack vector.
Without a managed lifecycle model, improvements may never reach machines in the field. In practice, this is one of the most common points where cybersecurity and long-term system maintainability intersect.
Conclusion
As work machines become increasingly connected and software-driven, cybersecurity becomes an integral part of safety. This is also directly reflected in testing.
It is no longer sufficient to ask only, “Does it work correctly?” Alongside that question, we must ask: does the system behave safely during disturbances, misuse scenarios, and potential cyberattacks?
If a device includes remote connections, OTA updates, or cloud interfaces, testing should address attack surfaces, resilience, and lifecycle security from an early stage.
These questions should not be left solely to the design phase. They are ultimately answered by how the system performs in real-world operation.
If these topics are relevant for you, they are worth discussing early. The earlier security is incorporated into development and testing, the more manageable the overall system becomes. At AtoZ, we are happy to spar and discuss these topics with you.
Related Materials
- ISO/SAE 21434: Cybersecurity processes and requirements throughout the lifecycle
- NIST SP 800-115: Technical guide to information security testing and assessment methodologies
