Industrial cybersecurity, especially in Operational Technology (OT) has become a hot topic within industries amid the rising integration of information and operational technology. OT is heavily used in industrial settings like manufacturing facilities, power plants, transportation systems, and similar physical processes in various industries. Hence, OT’s reliance on IT does not make cybersecurity an IT problem alone, but also a safety, reliability, and operability issue. Therefore, in this blog post, we will discuss what OT cybersecurity is and how it operates in industrial environments, the difficulties faced during the process, and how one can build a strong protection network.
Industrial contexts are crucial to the essential utility infrastructure of many countries. Among these competing projects, these facilities provide pivotal services that may pose threats to the safety, economic health, and security of nations.
Large enterprises employ operational technology in their business operations for seamless functionality. OT cybersecurity is more central and crucial than even especially for businesses handling huge amounts of datas. There are instances where there could be a disruption of the electric power delivery system that will lead to blackouts and may encompass millions of individuals in addition to necessary establishments such as hospitals and police stations. Hence, it is crucial to protect OT systems to ensure the services remain unimpeded and safe from cyber threats.
OT systems are involved with the management of physical processes that can result in tangible effects in the shortest time with potential harm. For example, in a chemical production plant, OT systems manage the hybridization of flammable materials. Situations where the processes can be interfered with in a cyberattack may result in explosions, toxic releases, and other dangerous occurrences. Securing OT systems means to do so, one secures industrial operations which benefits workers and communities that may be affected in case of mishaps.
Business operations especially industrial ones rely heavily on the use of their operational technology and consequently expect smooth uninterrupted functionality. Any disruption can have significant consequences as production lines, tools, etc., may be damaged, resulting in financial losses for the company due to repair costs and extended downtime. So the safety of industrial processes from the action of OT cyber threats is promoted by the authorized measures aimed at its protection.
Most production facilities still implement outdated OT systems that were established long before information security issues emerged. Such systems appear to be not very secure and are often poorly equipped with contemporary safety solutions; they can be hardly upgraded or replaced. Transitioning these older systems into a modern cybersecurity model can present a challenge that entails professional understanding and planning so as not to interfere with operation systems.
Industrial environments have numerous OT systems supplied by various vendors across the world, thereby coming with incongruent protocols, interfaces, and security needs. This makes it hard to have specific standards for securing all the systems in case there is an attack and the different levels of risk. Also, the specificity of these environments entails that shifts in the units result in significant changes throughout the systems.
That is the continuous integration of IT and OT brings both opportunities as well as hardship. Although such integration leads to positive outcomes such as improved efficiency, collaborative sharing of data, and even higher levels of analytics, they also bring about new forms of risk.
By their nature, IT systems are typically more connected to the Internet and therefore more likely to be attacked by cybercriminals and such threats could easily infiltrate OT assets due to the interconnected nature of the systems unless there is proper isolation and protection of these nascent IT and OT interfaces.
One of the first principles of crafting a satisfactory OT cybersecurity policy is creating a risk analysis that covers all relevant aspects. This means defining what may be at risk, the associated risks, and calculating the risks of the OT systems. In summary, after identifying them, organizations can easily rank priorities before they start on their cybersecurity and allocate a lot of resources if necessary.
Securing the OT network is a critical element of blocking cyber threats on it, including segmenting the network. By disconnecting the OT systems from IT systems and other possible infected POC networks, an organization can contain the TENET and minimize the exposure points. This segmentation can be made through some barriers including firewalls, Virtual local area networks or VLANs, and other security technologies.
But OT systems have to be checked periodically with the latest security patch release. Nevertheless, it is often difficult to apply these patches in industrial environments where there is always the pressure to conduct business to operate 24/7.
Patch management should form a major part of any organization’s strategy with the primary objective of ensuring that the duration required to undertake critical patching does not cause prolonged system downtime.
It has been established that the advancement of technical preventive and detective measures that should be put in place to detect and respond to cyber threats in real time cannot be overemphasized.
These systems can identify some behaviors that point to cyberattack presence and generate alarm, which is fundamental for a prompt investigation. This scenario implies constant supervision because it is effective in determining any infiltration and containing it before it gets worse.
OT personnel should educate and increase the general understanding that there are cybersecurity guidelines that need to be followed and that there are certain threats that exist for OT systems.
It is recommended that employees undergo retraining every once in a while to increase their awareness of the various phishing attacks and learn about the necessity of strong passwords as well as the correct procedures to follow when working with the OT systems.
It’s imperative to have the major steps of an organization’s incident response plan defined properly, to reduce the effects of a cyber threat. This plan should highlight the course of action to be followed in case of a cyber threat, the process of neutralizing the threat, identifying the impacted areas, restoring normalcy, and reporting the incident to shareholders or other interested parties. Coordination, mock exercises, and even practicing make the response team calm and ready to deploy appropriate actions decisively.
OT cybersecurity in industrial settings cannot be overlooked as it helps protect industries from cyber threats. As business processes at the industrial site and supply chain become more integrated and laden with digital technology, the dangers of cyber attackers rise sharply. Securing OT systems is not just about data security but also, the security of the processes involving the operations of industrial systems.
To overcome the incorporated threats, experts need to initiate a complete workflow that includes risk analysis, separation of the network, program updates, alerts, awareness among employees, and contingency plans. By proposing these strategies, organizations can increase the level of protection of the industrial environment and prevent its vulnerable position in the context of cyber threats.
OT cybersecurity focuses on protecting systems that control physical processes, which can have immediate and potentially hazardous impacts if compromised.
Securing legacy OT systems involves implementing additional security measures such as network segmentation, using intrusion detection systems, and applying compensating controls where direct updates or patches are not feasible.
Employee training is critical in OT cybersecurity because human error can significantly increase the risk of cyber incidents.
Family car trips aren't only about reaching your destination, but about doing it safely as…
This post contains affiliate links. Just Free Stuff is giving away a Mini Dash Cam. To enter…
Many thanks to Kingdom Faith Marketing Services for providing a sample of the product for…
Your 30s are a pivotal time in your life, during which you must make key…
Mommy-and-me outfits add charm to precious fall moments. These fashion tips will make you feel…
I received this product in exchange for sharing my honest opinion. Working at home has…
This website uses cookies.