Traditionally, OT environments were not connected to the Internet and were therefore practically not exposed to external threats. This meant that cybersecurity in OT environments was “in the dark”.
But the paradigm has changed and OT environments need more and more connectivity with other services that can be found both inside and outside the organization, which forces companies to efficiently secure OT processes.
Some of the domains to consider for protecting processes in OT environments are:
- Discovery and monitoring of assets, since in many cases the organization itself does not know 100% of the devices that are connected to the OT network and the relationships established between them.
- Hardening of devices.
- Vulnerability scanning, allowing organizations to know the exposure of all their OT assets and potential vulnerabilities.
- Virtual patching, as vulnerable operating systems and other tools are common.
- Access control and limitation of lateral movements, including remote or on-site access management by manufacturers and third parties.