Need for Cyber Security in Operational Technology (OT)
In enterprise security, we often discuss the cyber threats harming the ever-expanding digital enterprise. Enterprises & industry systems are paranoid about the security issues occurring in the hyper-connected enterprise network with multiple endpoints. With the advent of Industry 4.0 and the evolution of the digital-driven enterprise, where everything runs on data — operational technology (OT) and IT security must work in tandem to reassess cybersecurity & provide safety to all industry systems like data, IoT devices, automation systems, etc.
According to the Bloomberg report, the global industrial cybersecurity market will expand to 20.5 billion USD by 2030. It will reflect a sustainable compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.4 percent. This article will give you a complete walkthrough of operational technology, operational technology security, cyber threats occurring when OT and IT merge, the importance of OT cybersecurity, and OT security best practices.
What is operational technology (OT)?
Operational Technology (OT) is a concept of leveraging software, hardware, and automation systems to manage industrial equipment. All the Operational Technologies enable industrial devices and machine interaction with the physical world. OT includes industrial control systems like distributed systems, industrial control systems, data acquisition, automation, and supervisory systems. Through the OT environment, industries can supervise and control processes like energy management, manufacturing, building management, automation support, etc.
What is operational technology security?
Operational technology cybersecurity deals with the practice of referencing hardware components, software, industry devices, infrastructure, people, and other OT services to protect against cyber threats. In this data-driven industrial culture, collecting & analyzing data plays a significant role. Operational Technology (OT) security deals with data protection & different operating necessities that revolve around cybersecurity.
Experts and security professionals noted that to run industrial hardware & infrastructure continuously, enterprises often neglect the security measures of various industrial operational technologies. Thus, to provide better protection, enterprises must ponder OT cybersecurity best practices. According to the Markets and Markets research report, the Operational Technology cybersecurity market will grow from 15 billion USD in 2022 to 32.4 billion USD by 2027. Let us now explore the cyber threats that emerge when IT and OT work simultaneously.
Critical cyber threats emerge when Operational Technology leverages Information Technology
Since industries are leveraging data-driven approaches to yield maximum productivity, the use of IT is posing a massive threat to the OT.
· Data breaches have become more common than ever before. Cybercriminals have been targeting all endpoints and nodes to eavesdrop and steal sensitive or valuable data. They even sell those data to industrial competitors.
· As industries are incorporating new technologies and techniques to enhance industrial and operational productivity through technology, the threat landscape is also getting sophisticated. Thus, enterprises must take proactive measures toward securing devices and industrial infrastructures.
· With the incorporation of IoT devices and sensors, keeping a note of threat visibility becomes complicated. Any well-cultivated attack with endurance can cause severe damage to the operational technology.
· Often vendor-restricted equipment and legacy infrastructures can also prevent them from endpoint protection. Cybercriminals target those pain points to breach operational technologies and industrial infrastructures.
Common security threats and challenges that the industrial sector faces
Here is a list of some common security threats and challenges the industrial sector faces. OT security plays an influential role in mitigating such challenges.
· Malware infiltration: The malware-based attack is one of the most well-known threats operational technology and industrial sectors face. Flash drives, external hardware, and IoT systems connected to various plants get infected with malware. They not only distort the regular industrial operation but can also delete data from the database and malfunction software systems regulating energy sources or manufacturing plants.
· Human error: It is another common threat that industrial sectors face due to the lack of knowledge or understanding of the technology or systems. Human errors are hard to avoid as no one can predict their occurrence. Thus, firms and industry owners must take proactive initiatives toward educating & training employees not to share credentials or open malicious links or attachments.
· IoT botnets and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks: A DDoS is a malicious attempt to disrupt or slow down the usual traffic of a website by inundating the server, web application, or network with fake traffic. Every industry leverages different IoT devices and sensors to automate various tasks or make operations remote. But due to the vulnerabilities in these IoT systems, they often become infected by illicit programs that make these devices a part of the botnet. Cybercriminals use these industry-level botnet IoT devices to launch a DDoS attack.
Importance of Operational Technology Cybersecurity
From the above two paragraphs, we can vividly witness that operational technology needs security measures. Since industrial & enterprise systems face numerous security challenges, they must utilize a robust framework. That is where OT security displays its importance.
i. Ensures operational continuity:
Large industrial sectors often deal with loads of inventory, daily operations, stakeholders, timely delivery pressure, and client demands. Thus it is paramount to keep the business operations running. Such firms could only afford to pause or take short breaks in their operations. Even a little breakdown in the operational unit can cost massive monetary losses and even clients. To maintain business continuity, firms should leverage operational technology security to carry out a seamless and undisrupted operation.
ii. Prevent attacks on industrial systems:
As industries have started using IoT systems and sensors, along with various third-party software — it expands the attack surface, making the entire ecosystem vulnerable. Cyber attacks on these sophisticated industrial operations can cost the business millions. That is where operational technology security becomes beneficial. OT security practices prevent those systems with tools and techniques like firewalls, anti-malware, intrusion detection systems (IDS), intrusion prevention systems (IPS), etc. It adds an extra protection layer for various infrastructures. OT security also comprises asset management, patch management, and vulnerability analysis that help secure industrial systems from cyber attacks.
iii. Prevention from data breaches and privacy infringement:
Nowadays, all news headlines have data breaches and privacy violation reports. Due to such complicated industrial infrastructure, leveraging technology for operational enhancement, there are chances of data breaches in the industrial sectors. If enterprises & firms want to stay ahead of such cyber threats, OT security can be beneficial. OT security comprises secure access, access privilege audit, data backup with encryption, etc., to ensure the industrial system’s complete protection against data breaches. Also, OT security comprises policy-driven approaches toward data privacy so that no one can mishandle those industrial client data.
OT security best practices
OT often lags when it comes to its security. Securing the OT environment for seamless functioning is essential. Here are some OT cybersecurity best practices.
1. Asset discovery: OT networks and overall infrastructure seems complex. It lacks visibility into various resources residing within the OT’s ecosystem. For protecting the OT system, security professionals need complete infrastructure visibility. Discovering all devices, topologies, & security standards associated with OT should be the first phase.
2. Network segmentation and isolation: To provide complete security over operational technology systems, enterprises must segregate the network so that security professionals can easily audit and monitor them. It is also the best practice to include measures like least privilege, zero trust principle, combining similar network resources, limiting third-party access, etc.
3. Threat prevention: OT security should be detection-focused. The strategy should include threat prevention tools, a false-positive error notification system, and other modern ML-based behavioural detection & prevention technologies in place. That makes OT cybersecurity reactive to cyber attacks.
To implement these best practices for your industry systems, contact Packetlabs.
Conclusion
In this cut-throat competitive market, an operational breakdown can cost massive losses to a business. Thus OT cybersecurity plays a significant role. This article highlighted OT security, critical & common cyber threats associated with operational technology, the importance of OT cybersecurity, and OT security best practices. To know more about security tips, tap Packetlabs.
If you want such technical content or article for your B2B or B2C business, contact me here. Having 6+ years of experience in writing, I write outstanding and versatile technical and non-technical content featuring infographics, animations, and SEO strategies that can bring potential leads & audiences to your website. You can ultimately enjoy more visibility and traffic on your website. The price/project or price per word is negotiable.
