75% of OT Organizations Report Cybersecurity Intrusions in the Past Year

Fortinet’s latest report on the global state of operational technology (OT) and cybersecurity reveals that 75% of OT organizations have experienced at least one intrusion in the last year. The report highlights the need for continued improvement in securing the expanding IT/OT threat landscape and predicts a shift in OT cybersecurity responsibility from directors and managers to chief information security officers (CISOs) within the next 12 months. Key findings from the survey include: Persistent cyber threats: While the number of organizations without cybersecurity intrusions has increased from 6% in 2022 to 25% in 2023, there is still significant room for improvement. Three-fourths of OT organizations reported at least one intrusion in the last year, with malware (56%) and phishing (49%) being the most common types of incidents. Additionally, 32% of respondents fell victim to a ransomware attack, consistent with the previous year. Overestimation of OT security maturity: Only 13% of respondents consider their organization’s OT security posture as “highly mature,” a decrease from 21% in the previous year. This suggests growing awareness among OT professionals and better self-assessment tools for evaluating cybersecurity capabilities. The impact of cyberattacks on both IT and OT systems has increased, with 32% of respondents reporting such incidents compared to 21% in the previous year. Complexity challenges: The proliferation of connected devices poses significant challenges for OT organizations, with nearly 80% of respondents having more than 100 IP-enabled OT devices in their environment. While cybersecurity solutions have improved efficiency (67%) and flexibility (68%) for most OT professionals, solution sprawl complicates the consistent implementation and enforcement of policies across the converging IT/OT landscape. Aging systems further compound the issue, with 74% of organizations reporting an average age of 6 to 10 years for their ICS systems. Shifting responsibility to CISOs: As a positive development, 95% of organizations plan to transfer OT cybersecurity responsibility to their CISOs in the next 12 months, signaling a prioritization of cybersecurity. OT cybersecurity professionals now predominantly come from IT security leadership, and decision-making influence has shifted away from operations executives to other leaders, especially CISOs and CSOs. To strengthen overall security posture, the report recommends several best practices:

• Develop a vendor and OT cybersecurity platform strategy to reduce complexity and achieve integration and automation.
• Deploy network access control (NAC) technology to secure endpoints and maintain control of the network.
• Adopt a zero-trust approach by implementing asset inventory, segmentation, and continuous verification of users, applications, and devices.
• Incorporate cybersecurity awareness education and training for all employees, including non-technical staff.
• Promote collaboration among IT, OT, and production teams to assess cyber and production risks and allocate resources effectively.

By adopting a platform approach and leveraging open APIs and a robust technology alliance ecosystem, CISOs and security teams can simplify operations, enhance ransomware prevention and detection, and improve incident response. Collaboration across departments helps ensure awareness, prioritization, and allocation of budgets and personnel to mitigate risks effectively.