As I originally shared on LinkedIn, the landscape of OT (operational technology) cybersecurity continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace. The reliance on interconnected systems in critical infrastructure sectors demands a heightened focus on security to protect against sophisticated threats. Let’s look at what I believe are three pivotal areas of OT cybersecurity that organizations must prioritize moving forward.
1. Perimeter of Defense
The concept of a digital perimeter is no longer confined to the traditional boundaries of a physical facility. With the increasing convergence of IT and OT, the attack surface has expanded, making it imperative to fortify the digital perimeter. Failure to do so may result in unauthorized access, manipulation of sensitive data, and disruption of critical processes.
Organizations must find ways to invest in comprehensive perimeter of defense mechanisms. Firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and anomaly detection tools play a pivotal role in safeguarding the entry points of OT networks. A breach at this level could allow threat actors to compromise control systems, leading to catastrophic consequences. The nature of industrial systems leaves them especially vulnerable to “living off the land” attacks, meaning that a breach at one point can potentially cascade through the entire network, causing widespread damage.
2. Peripheral Media Protection
The influx of removable media, such as USB drives and external hard disks, and other transient cyber assets like vendor laptops and BYOD (bring your own devices) into industrial environments pose a significant threat. These seemingly innocuous devices can act as Trojan horses, carrying malware that could infiltrate and disrupt critical infrastructure. Ignoring peripheral media protection is akin to leaving the front door of your organization wide open for threat actors to welcome themselves in.
Organizations should implement (and enforce) stringent controls over the use of peripheral media within industrial environments. While all unauthorized or uninspected media should be treated as a potential threat, critical environments require defense-in-depth protection against this prevalent vector; dedicated scanning stations, media validation tools, and media firewalls can work in harmony to prevent threats of this nature. Failing to address this vulnerability opens the door to malware infiltration, potentially leading to operational downtime, data loss, compromise of sensitive information, and reputational damage.
3. Supply Chain Security
The intricate web of intersecting systems within critical infrastructure often extends beyond organizational boundaries. With the increasing reliance on third-party vendors and suppliers, the supply chain has become a potential Achilles' heel for many organizations. Common IT tools are exploited by malicious actors, causing huge disruption to the end user.
Moving forward, organizations need to scrutinize and fortify their supply chain security—on both the hardware and software supply chain fronts. This involves assessing the security posture of vendors, ensuring secure communications, implementing measures to detect and respond to any anomalous activities within the supply chain, and verifying 3rd party sources for integration, vulnerabilities, and authenticity. Failure to do so could result in a domino effect, where a compromise in one part of the supply chain reverberates across multiple interconnected systems, leading to widespread damage.
So, as we navigate the changing landscape of OT cybersecurity, it is essential to prioritize these three areas. The consequences of neglecting perimeter defense, peripheral media protection, and supply chain security are not only financial, but also have far-reaching implications on public safety and national security. We rely on these critical environments for our modern way of life, and their overall security should be prioritized as such. With the right mindset and fresh start on the year, we can all make the commitment to collectively protect the resilience of critical infrastructure in the face of emerging cyberthreats.
Discover how OPSWAT can help your organization handle all three of these key areas—see why OPSWAT is the critical advantage in OT cybersecurity today.
