on OT systems in critical infrastructures

OT (operational technology) systems are increasingly the focus of cyber criminals. Companies in critical infrastructures such as energy, transport, water management and healthcare are particularly affected. According to a recent study, attacks on OT systems have increased significantly in recent years, as they are often less well protected than IT systems.

Why are OT systems at risk?

OT systems are often older and were not originally developed with cybersecurity in mind. In addition, they are often networked with IT systems in order to make processes more efficient. However, this convergence increases the attack surface, as vulnerabilities in the IT area can also jeopardise OT systems.

Examples of current threats:

Ransomware attacks: Cyber criminals encrypt OT control systems and demand a ransom to unblock operations.

Supply chain attacks: Vulnerabilities in supplier networks or software updates are exploited to gain access to OT systems.

Targeted attacks: Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) specifically attack critical OT systems in order to cause operational failures.

Recommendations for companies:

-Conducting comprehensive security audits specifically for OT systems.

-Use of segmented networks to separate IT and OT.

-Training of employees to minimise human error.

Back to the News.

Our OT team will be happy to support you with your sales enquiries, pre-sales topics or planned marketing activities.