When it Comes to Operational Technology, Old Networks Need to Learn New Tricks

Noting that his company’s most recent landscape threat report cybercriminal target vulnerabilities ten or more years old more than they target new ones, an analyst with cybersecurity firm Fortinet emphasizes the importance of companies utilizing operational technology (OT) to improve the security of their systems. He observes that this is especially warranted given that OT systems are often old and have been left unmanaged for many years – making them among the most vulnerable assets in any organization – and the rise of OT’s convergence with information technology (IT) systems. As the analyst notes, these digital transformation efforts are now exposing many OT environments for the first time, which have long suffered from a lack of security hygiene to begin with. Exacerbating this complication is that the cybersecurity skills gap, especially when it comes to security professionals who have experience with OT environments. The article concludes with a series of recommendations, which advocate for adopting and implementing a comprehensive strategic approach that simplifies the solution and engages both OT and IT experts throughout an organization. Read the article at Dark Reading.