Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

Bitsight has identified nearly 100,000 exposed industrial control systems (ICS) owned by organizations around the world, potentially allowing an attacker to access and control physical infrastructure such as power grids, traffic light systems, security and water systems, and more. ICSs — a subset of operational technology (OT) — are used to manage industrial processes like water flow in municipal water systems, electricity transmission via power grids, and other critical processes.

In July 2021, the White House established a voluntary initiative for industrial control systems (ICS) to promote cooperation between the critical infrastructure community and the federal government.

Of all the different areas of cybersecurity, not many are as important, or have as far-reaching consequences as industrial control systems (ICS) security. While most relevant organizations would agree that ICS security is a significant concern for their operations, it is easier said than done. Many find it difficult to put into practice the measures and solutions necessary for sufficient ICS security.

Under the direction of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) secures transportation systems in the United States, including oil and natural gas pipelines. The TSA Pipeline Security Guidelines are recommended best practices that protect the over 2.7 million miles of pipelines transporting natural gas, oil, and other hazardous materials across the U.S. from physical and cyber threats.

In recent years, cyber attacks have been on the rise around the globe. In 2022, the median initial ransom amount rose to $500,000 as more public sectors fell victim to malicious attacks. In Australia, climbing cyber attacks have damaged the country’s vital infrastructure, with lasting and costly consequences. Major industries in Australia — including manufacturing, finance, foreign communications, and the healthcare sector — have been targets of cyber attacks.

In the current geopolitical climate, the energy sector, which powers our modern society - from homes and businesses to critical infrastructure and national defense systems, finds itself under the growing threat of cyberattacks.

It’s no secret that the U.S. power grid is one of the main foundations of the nation’s economy, infrastructure, and daily way of life. Now that almost everything is digitized, it is hinging on it even more. We wouldn’t be able to use even most vending machines (not to mention cell towers or the internet) without a working electrical supply, and the importance of keeping it safe cannot be understated. Thankfully, a lot of positive changes have already been made.

Increasingly, security teams are tasked with identifying, understanding, and managing risk around devices that may live outside the traditional IT umbrella. Operational Technology (OT) refers to computing systems that are used to manage and process operational functions as opposed to administrative operations, with Industrial Control Systems (ICS) being a major segment of that OT sector.

Every news article about a threat group or attack floods the reader with classifications: nation-state groups, hacktivists, cyberterrorists, etc. But how can we define who is what? How can we differentiate between said categories? How should we deal with potential classification overlaps? Especially in the ever-evolving cyberwarfare realm, how can we approach these closely rooted phenomena?

In our first post on using BAS in an operational technology (OT) environment, we provided an overview of a typical converged IT/OT network, the trends that were driving increased cyber risk for industrial asset owners, and a high-level discussion of how BAS can help provide better visibility and protection across the converged environment.