Ensuring the security of operational technology systems is critical in today’s landscape. As threats to these industrial control systems that support our critical infrastructure continue to increase, diligence and robust cybersecurity measures are essential.
Recognize the unique threat landscape for OT systems
Threats targeting OT systems can be divided into two types: tailored and opportunistic. Tailored threats are typically associated with advanced, persistent threats – carefully planned attacks designed to achieve long-term impact on specific targets. These attacks are specifically designed to disrupt and hijack critical operational processes and are often attributed to state actors and sophisticated adversaries. In contrast, opportunistic attacks exploit known vulnerabilities, and it has been found that approximately 70% of all attacks fall into this exact category.
This challenge becomes even more complex as new threat actors such as cybercriminals and hacktivists become involved.
Address key OT security challenges
OT cybersecurity is unique and different from the traditional IT environment in many ways. One of the biggest challenges in securing OT systems is the cultural and operational gap between IT cybersecurity professionals and the engineers who manage OT environments. About 60% of OT professionals agree that there is a major difference in communication and priorities. IT teams focus primarily on security issues, while OT focuses on uptime and safety issues.
The other critical challenge is legacy systems and lack of visibility within OT environments. Research shows that 75% of the technology in OT systems is outdated, which poses significant risks due to a lack of visibility and reliance on outdated security protocols. This makes it quite difficult to protect the systems effectively and the process of real-time threat detection is becoming increasingly complex.
Implement core cybersecurity best practices
To overcome these challenges, it is necessary to establish a solid foundation of cybersecurity best practices for OT systems. This can be made possible, in particular, by taking a comprehensive inventory of assets and technologies to perform continuous monitoring for immediate visibility and anomaly detection. By maintaining an inventory of all assets and performing continuous monitoring, an organization is 30% more likely to detect and respond to security incidents, preventing greater damage.
Bridging the IT-OT security gap
OT systems require a unified approach that bridges the traditional divide between IT and OT practices. When IT security practices are brought into OT environments, it can result in a much more integrated and effective security framework. Organizations that have successfully integrated IT and OT practices report improvements in their overall security posture of up to 40%.
Establishing a cross-functional center of excellence where IT and OT experts share best practices and develop comprehensive security strategies could further support these efforts.
Focus on incident response and threat detection
In addition to these core practices, all organizations should implement robust cybersecurity, incident response and threat detection capabilities. This should be followed by regular vulnerability assessments and incident response plans tailored to each OT environment in the event of a breach.
So these continue to be cross-industry collaboration and information-sharing initiatives that complement joint security efforts. This proactive approach, leveraging threat intelligence from across industries and adhering to best practices, enables organizations to be prepared for changes in the cyber landscape.
Future-proof OT security
As the threat landscape itself becomes a moving target, organizations must keep an eye on new developments and evolve their security protocols and technologies. OT systems must be able to ensure long-term resilience, driven by continuous improvement and future-focusedness.
Understanding the nuanced threat landscape and key challenges, enforcing key cybersecurity best practices, bridging the IT and OT security gap, and incident response and threat detection are ways to future-proof the OT security posture and protect critical infrastructure from a variety of cyber threats.
FAQ
- Why is OT security becoming increasingly important in today’s digital landscape?
As OT and IT systems become more integrated, OT environments become more exposed to cyber threats. This should therefore be accompanied by strict security measures to protect these critical infrastructures.
- How can companies overcome the challenges posed by outdated OT systems?
These can be overcome through continuous monitoring of the affected organizations, frequent vulnerability assessments and the establishment of best practices in IT security in OT environments.
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