CISA Releases “Barriers to Secure OT Communication” Guidance for Owners and Operators

(TLP:CLEAR) CISA released the guidance “Barriers to Secure OT Communication: Why Johnny Can’t Authenticate,” which highlights the known issues with insecure-by-design legacy industrial protocols and seeks to understand why the technology to secure these protocols is not widely adopted. CISA developed this guidance in partnership with operational technology (OT) equipment manufacturers and standard development organizations, by interviewing OT asset owners and operators to understand:  

1. What motivates owners and operators to secure communication, and
2. What barriers prevent successful adoption from design through deployment and operations.

CISA’s findings indicate that widespread adoption of secure communication is hindered not by a lack of technical solutions, but by real-world barriers in cost, complexity, and operational risk.