Tailings dams represent one of the most environmentally sensitive infrastructures in the mining industry. To address the need for continuous and accurate monitoring, this paper presents an adaptive forecasting framework that combines Internet of Things (IoT) technologies with machine learning (ML) models to detect early signs of structural and ecological risks. The proposed system architecture is modular and scalable and enables the automated training, selection, and deployment of predictive models for multivariate sensor data. Each sensor data flow is independently analyzed by using a configurable set of algorithms (including linear, convolutional, recurrent, and residual models). The framework is deployed via containers with a CI/CD pipeline and includes real-time visualization through Grafana dashboards. A use case involving tiltmeters and piezometers in an operational tailing dam shows the system’s high predictive accuracy, with mean relative errors below $4\%$ across all variables (in fact, many of them have a mean relative error below $1\%$). These results highlight the potential of the proposed solution to improve structural and environmental safety in mining operations.

In the recent years, the majority of the world’s Critical Infrastructures (CIs) have evolved to be more flexible, cost efficient and able to offer better services and conditions for business growth. Through this evolution, CIs and companies offering CI services had to adopt many of the recent advances of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) field. This rapid adaptation however, was performed without thorough evaluation of its impact on CIs’ security. It resulted into leaving CIs vulnerable to a new set of threats and vulnerabilities that impose high levels of risk to the public safety, economy and welfare of the population. To this extend, the main approach for protecting CIs includes handling them as comprehensive entities and offer a complete solution for their overall infrastructures and ICT systems (IT&OT departments). However, complete CI security solutions exist, in the form of individual products from IT security companies. These products, integrate only in-house designed and developed tools/solutions, thus offering a limited range of technical solutions.