The “SANS 2024 State of ICS/OT Cybersecurity” survey is out, showing the security status of industrial control systems (ICS) and operational technology (OT). The results show significant progress compared to reports from previous years. But there are still major challenges to the security of ICS/OT environments, the study indicates.
A notable advancement is improved threat detection. Although only 33 percent of respondents used specific OT monitoring in 2019, this indicator increased to 52 percent in 2024. Despite this progress, there are still poor numbers in preparedness and staffing levels. Only 34% of respondents use dedicated ICS/OT tools to prepare for cyber incidents. Furthermore, more than half of those interviewed (51%) do not have any certifications for these systems. These gaps raise serious questions about how prepared companies are for industrial cyber incidents and whether security teams have the necessary skills.
Another significant trend is the growing adoption of cloud solutions in the ICS/OT area. Despite ongoing security concerns, the use of cloud-based solutions has increased by 15%, especially in unregulated environments. This shows that companies are increasingly depending on the flexibility and scalability of the cloud to modernize their OT infrastructures.
The application of artificial intelligence (AI) in ICS/OT environments remains limited. Most companies are still in the experimental phase due to a lack of clear use cases and a lack of confidence in the security and reliability of these technologies. AI could play a more important role in the future, but currently its use in this area is not yet widespread.
See the original post at: CisoAdvisor
