The Destructive and Costly Growth of the OT Threat Landscape

The network operations analyst for operational technology (OT) faces an advanced threat landscape, with both traditional attacks and more sophisticated exploits becoming much more prevalent. Bad actors are focused on industrial targets due to inherent vulnerabilities in legacy systems, as well as the increase of information technology (IT) connections in the OT environment. When industrial equipment is connected to IT networks, systems become exposed to more attacks since the “air gap” that was originally designed to protect only the perimeter no longer exists. As a result, malware and other types of cyberattacks are increasing in frequency and potency, not only threatening to disrupt businesses but also impacting the safety and security of the systems on which OT organizations depend.