We’re starting the new year with a conversation focused on securing critical infrastructure. The issue, of course, is that we’re seeing increased threats and cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. Not to mention the war in Ukraine. This collective threat is a rallying point, bringing together cyber professionals from around the world, as well as their respective countries.

SANS released its annual ‘State of ICS/OT Cybersecurity’ report in October 2022. It reflects survey results from 332 ICS/OT organizations representing a range of industrial verticals.

It is always said that security is never a one-size-fits-all solution. This is true not only because of the apparent infinite varieties of equipment in each individual organization, but also, and perhaps more importantly, the different ways that every organization views security. Some spend lots of time focusing on physical security, especially those with industrial control systems (ICS). Others are small organizations, where the primary concern is personal data theft.

The JFrog Security team recently competed in the Pwn2Own Miami 2022 hacking competition which focuses on Industrial Control Systems (ICS) security. One of our research targets for the competition was the Unified Automation C++-based OPC UA Server SDK. Other than the vulnerabilities we disclosed as part of the pwn2own competition, we managed to find and disclose eight additional vulnerabilities to the vendor. These vulnerabilities were fixed in the SDK in version 1.7.7.

A new report on Operational Technology (OT) equipment flaws from automated cybersecurity software company Forescout outlines the alarming state of OT security. The report titled OT:ICEFALL was crafted by researchers at the company’s Vedere lab. It breaks down 56 vulnerabilities affecting 26 devices from 10 vendors in OT.

Cybersecurity has, since its inception, been a corporate-based problem. Whether it is a public, or private corporation, these entities were the primary targets of most cybercrime. In recent years, the industrial sector has increasingly become the target of attack for malicious actors. The reasons include newly internet-connected devices that were once air-gapped, and the immaturity of cybersecurity in many of these plants.

The lack of healthcare cybersecurity is one of the most significant threats to the sanctity of the global healthcare industry. This is made evident by the fact that in 2020 more than 18 million patient records were affected by successful cyber-attacks on the U.S. healthcare system. Health professionals should not take this issue lightly, as financial assets and intellectual property are at risk.

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, it is an excellent time to reflect upon what took place and how that incident can serve as a teaching point for any organization interested in preventing a ransomware attack. First, here is a quick refresher on what transpired.

Troubling new malware designed to facilitate attacks on a wide array of critical infrastructure – from oil refineries and power plans, to water utilities and factories – is raising concerns for its versatility. The malware, named Pipedream by Dragos and Incontroller by Mandiant, who have both tracked and researched the toolkit, is potentially capable of gaining full system access to multiple industrial control systems (ICS) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) devices.

There are many significant technology-enabled changes taking place in industrial environments today. Smart factories and Industry 4.0. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). The convergence of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT). All of these things are introducing digital technologies at a fast pace to improve operations, increase productivity, enhance oversight, and increase profitability.