Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

Are the repeated warnings throughout the years taking effect? Although we would like to say they are, the answer is complex and, most likely, we aren’t quite there yet.

In the public sector, it’s not uncommon for disruptions of critical infrastructure to ripple outward and wreak major havoc on systems and communities whether the cause is a technical issue, a natural disaster, or a cyber attack. As critical infrastructure becomes more connected through distributed systems and IoT devices, the attack surface continues to expand.

Every defense contractor preparing for CMMC has the same expensive surprise: the third-party engineering firm with VPN access into one file server just doubled the size of their assessment. CMMC, the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification that DoD will require on covered solicitations starting November 10, 2026, is scored against the systems that touch Controlled Unclassified Information, or CUI.

On April 28, 2025, a massive power outage affected large areas of the Iberian Peninsula and parts of southern France. Traffic lights, elevators, point-of-sale systems, and many mobile phone and internet networks suddenly stopped functioning. Subways and parts of the rail network ground to a halt. Industrial production and numerous service businesses were interrupted for several hours to a full day.

Critical infrastructure systems, such as power plants, water treatment plants, transportation networks, and factories, depend on operational technology (OT) to work. OT systems are designed to manage physical devices and processes, while traditional IT systems primarily focus on protecting data and information. Because of this difference, OT security is complex, especially as OT networks are increasingly linked to IT networks, making them more vulnerable to cyber threats.

Operational Technology (OT) security safeguards the industrial systems, networks, and physical processes that power modern society. Unlike Information Technology (IT), which prioritizes data confidentiality, OT security focuses on the availability, reliability, and safety of physical operations, protecting the technology behind turbines, robotic arms, pumps, and pipeline valves.

COMMENTARY: When the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iran on February 28, the security community mobilized around the visible response. I’ve watched that response for two weeks: teams tracking hacktivist DDoS campaigns, incident counts climbing, news coverage following close behind.

At Fal.Con Gov 2026, CrowdStrike is introducing new innovations to accelerate modernization and strengthen cyber defense of government systems, while helping agencies meet some of the most rigorous compliance standards within a FedRAMP-authorized environment. Cybersecurity is national security. Ransomware threatens public safety and continuity of operations. Supply chain compromise multiplies impact. Nation-state actors target critical infrastructure for strategic disruption.

Remote access into OT and ICS environments has always carried risk. But the nature of that risk has changed. Threat detections now happen in seconds. Sensors identify anomalous behavior in real time. Identity platforms continuously evaluate trust. SIEM and OT security tools generate rich, contextual alerts instantly. Yet in most environments, access enforcement is still manual. A detection triggers a ticket. A human reviews. A decision is made. Minutes—or hours—pass before action is taken.