The Importance of OT Security: The Evolving Threat Landscape – Ken Townsend – CSP #170

Manufacturing environments rely heavily on Operational Technology (OT) systems – such as industrial control systems, supervisory control, PLCs etc. to manage production processes. Compromises of these networks and systems can have devastating consequences, including:

• Production disruptions and downtime

• Safety hazards:

• Data breaches and intellectual property theft:

• Financial losses: Ransomware attacks can cripple operations and demand hefty payments. Manufacturing is a lucrative target for Ransomware.

• There is little tolerance for downtime.

• Difficulty in managing OT environments (different skillsets)

• Increasing connectivity between IT and OT due to digital transformation

Incidents such as the well documented Colonial Pipeline attack along with other manufacturing companies like Dole, and Brunswick continue to highlight the growing threat landscape for OT security in manufacturing.

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