Adrian Johnson
TLDR:
Key Points:
- 68% of Federal operational technology (OT) administrators and managers experienced an OT cyber-incident in the past year
- Only 55% of Federal OT leaders felt fully confident they could detect and mitigate a threat today
The article highlights the findings of a research report, “Guardians of Government: The State of Federal OT Security,” based on a survey of 100 Federal security administrators and managers overseeing OT in Federal civilian and Department of Defense (DoD) organizations. While 90% of Federal OT leaders reported an increase in agency prioritization of OT cybersecurity in the past two years, only half felt confident in their ability to detect and mitigate threats. The top gaps identified in current OT security strategies included network visibility, secure access, remote monitoring, and vulnerability management. Concerns were also raised about end-of-life OT assets and the lack of air-gapped OT environments. Respondents recommended standardizing risk models, enhancing visibility and access controls, and upskilling staff to improve OT security. Collaboration between OT and IT security teams, vulnerability assessment, and risk standardization were deemed crucial for increasing resilience across Federal agencies.
Overall, the research emphasizes the urgent need for Federal agencies to address gaps in OT cybersecurity to enhance readiness against threats and ensure the security of critical infrastructure.
