Understanding cybersecurity vulnerabilities and mitigation strategies for digital twins in industrial control systems

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Executive Summary

Digital twins represent a paradigm shift in industrial operations, creating virtual replicas of physical systems that enable real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and operational optimization. However, their integration with industrial control systems (ICS) introduces critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities that demand immediate attention from Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and security teams.

This whitepaper examines the expanding threat landscape facing digital twin deployments in 2025, revealing that 38.2% of industrial computerized maintenance management systems experienced attacks in 2022, with this figure likely higher for digital twin systems today. The bidirectional data flow between physical and virtual assets creates unprecedented attack surfaces, with 23 threat groups now actively targeting operational technology environments.

Key vulnerabilities include unsecured communication protocols, weak authentication mechanisms, software vulnerabilities like the 2024 Rockwell Emulate3D DLL hijacking flaw (CVE-2024-6079), and the potential for AI-enabled attacks that exploit machine learning models within digital twins. The convergence of IT and OT through digital twin implementations dissolves traditional security boundaries, enabling lateral movement attacks and creating single points of failure that could cascade from virtual to physical systems.

Organizations must adopt comprehensive mitigation strategies encompassing architectural security with DMZ deployment, zero trust principles, continuous monitoring, and alignment with frameworks including NIST IR 8356 and IEC 62443. The digital twin market's growth from $24.97 billion in 2024 to a projected $155.84 billion by 2030 underscores both the transformative potential and the critical need for robust security measures.

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