Research shows rising OT cyber threats in essential industries

Research by Palo Alto Networks has highlighted the critical importance of Operational Technology (OT) cybersecurity in today’s interconnected world, particularly within industries providing essential services and infrastructure. The study, involving 1,979 respondents across 16 countries, sought to understand the state of OT security and gauge the perspectives of C-suite management and practitioners in large industrial organisations.

Operational Technology, which governs devices and infrastructure in industrial sectors like manufacturing, energy, transportation, and healthcare, has been identified as a high-profile and lucrative target for threat actors. Despite the significant risks, many industrial operators are still facing challenges in appropriately securing their OT environments.

The study included a sample of 50 businesses from New Zealand, revealing that 72% of these organisations had experienced cyber-attacks in their OT environment. Globally, this figure stands at nearly 70%. These attacks pose a severe threat, with 30% of New Zealand businesses having to shut down OT operations due to successful cyber-attacks within the past year. Comparatively, the global figure for such operational shutdowns due to cyber-attacks is 25%.

Despite the frequency and impact of these attacks, the survey found that only 60% of New Zealand respondents have a comprehensive OT cybersecurity strategy in place. Additionally, only 52% have full visibility into their OT assets. Respondents pointed to the increasing cyber security challenges expected to arise from industrial devices such as Edge Compute, sensors, gateways actuators placed on machinery, industrial software applications like ERP, PLM, QMS, and the adoption of 5G technologies in the coming two years. Globally, 70% of respondents believe 5G devices to be a significant OT threat vector.

There is a growing recognition of the need to enhance OT cybersecurity. 62% of New Zealand businesses anticipate increased pressure from their Boards of Directors to bolster OT cybersecurity measures over the next two years, and 66% expect an increase in spending in this area.

Alex Nehmy, Regional Chief Security Officer of Critical Industries at Palo Alto Networks, commented on the findings: “The convergence of OT and Information Technology (IT) is bringing immense benefits in terms of accessibility and efficiency, but it also exposes our critical infrastructure to unprecedented cybersecurity risks. The adoption of AI-enabled security solutions is emerging as a critical imperative to detect and combat attacks on OT infrastructure effectively.”

The study's findings highlight the critical challenges faced by industrial operators in securing their OT environments. With a significant number of businesses experiencing cyber-attacks and operational shutdowns, there is a clear need for more comprehensive OT cybersecurity strategies and better visibility into OT assets. The expected increase in board-level pressure and spending reflects a growing awareness of these issues.