MANUFACTURING and healthcare share a set of password hygiene weaknesses that create significant security gaps, driven by culture as much as technology. The piece notes that insider attitudes view access management as a roadblock while attackers see it as a pathway, with legacy technologies and the pressure to avoid downtime compounding the problem.
Experts describe operators sharing credentials or using no passwords at all as common risky practices on both sides, and point to the challenge of OT expanding the attack surface as plants bring in more automation. Quotes from Mick Coady highlight how “they don’t want to make the effort” and how in hospitals, “the excuse will be: ‘You’re slowing me down’,” underscoring usability as a barrier to strong password hygiene.
The article also discusses how monitoring login activity is often lacking, and that shifting security mindsets requires awareness of how a weak password vector can threaten both production lines and patient care. It cites a view from Lisa Caldwell that identity management is a substantial challenge for manufacturing, with operators logging in as others or failing to recognise the significance of a hard-to-crack password.