Companies in the manufacturing and production industries are being challenged to secure their operational technology (OT) environment and to face the increasing risk of being attacked.
The frequency and sophistication of attacks on operational networks have increased recently due to lack of adequate security controls, the use of proprietary protocols on the production systems that cannot be accessed remotely and the organizational misalignment and complexity. Manufacturing and production plants that are trying to close the gap between IT and OT security are encountering several difficulties:
- Lack of internal knowledge in cybersecurity requirements for adequate defense of OT assets
- Absence of robust security frameworks for IT connected OT assets that result in production environment vulnerabilities.
- OT Cybersecurity is resource-intensive and without the appropriate guidance the security requirements are relegated to a second place in comparison with the business objectives.
- Without a strong cybersecurity strategy, vulnerabilities on OT systems may go undetected for months or years until they are exploited by hackers to disrupt critical operations, steal data or demand a ransom.
- More and more devices and sensors are interconnected making the threat landscape riskier.
There are many examples of intruders exploiting OT vulnerabilities, gathering information and preparing attacks without being detected. The two most well-known attacks are perhaps Colonial Pipeline and the Florida water treatment plant in the United States, where attackers exploited longstanding vulnerabilities that could have been prevented with software patches, stringent security for remote access and strong multifactor authentication.
Recently a sophisticated attack was carried out against Kiev Power Plant where hackers targeted employees to take over their accounts, then they escalated regular user privileges and laterally moved to OT system to compromise vulnerable devices and caused a power outage.
These examples clearly illustrate the impact of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and demonstrate the need for an IT/ OT cybersecurity strategy and a security program that help to improve the security posture and resilience to attacks. They also highlight the importance of securing identities and controlling remote access to all assets. Cyberattacks also lead to reputational damage.
In this whitepaper, we offer expert advice on the key steps you need to follow to secure your OT with a special focus on the important role that plays the identity and access management technology.
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