In cybersecurity, it’s easy to become consumed by day-to-day responsibilities, particularly as threats against Operational Technology (OT) emerge daily—be it a new vulnerability, the latest attack on critical infrastructure, or rising nation-state activity. Responding to immediate threats is critically important, of course. However, focusing only on reacting to threats can lead to a cycle of perpetual crisis management, which may sometimes overshadow broader strategic goals.
This would be like only going to the doctor when sick. Ideally, we’re being more proactive with our health, with routine check-ups.
Just as we prioritize our personal health through regular check-ups, it's essential to conduct routine evaluations of our OT environments to identify vulnerabilities and areas for improvement.
Preventive check-ups in healthcare serve to catch potential health issues before they develop into serious illnesses, allowing for interventions that maintain long-term health and prevent emergencies. Similarly, in cybersecurity, it’s vital to continuously identify and assess your OT environment, its vulnerabilities, and potential threats. This proactive measure ensures that you have a clear understanding of what needs protection and the possible entry points for threats. With this knowledge, you can then harden and fortify your OT assets against threats and minimize their impact.
Taking a step back to assess your overall security posture and then proactively maintain protections are the critical Identify and Protect functions of the NIST cybersecurity framework (CSF), which ultimately improves the other Detect, Response and Recovery functions. To help you keep your systems secure, here are six questions you might ask about your health that also apply to your OT environment:
- Are your vitals in range? Use a framework like NIST CSF, NERC CIP or CIS Critical Security Controls to establish standards and policies for your organization, then baseline what your "good" known state looks like, so you can measure future states against these benchmarks. This is like the start of a preventative health visit when they check heart rate, blood pressure, etc. Starting with this baseline at each check-up can highlight any concerning changes. Just as deviations in vital signs can indicate health issues, deviations from this baseline in your OT environment can signal security issues. Additionally, failing to adhere to these benchmarks can lead to compliance and regulatory consequences, impacting your organization’s operational integrity and legal standing.
- Are different departments collaborating on your overall health? Although they do not seem connected, your dental procedures, optometry visits, and general doctor’s prescriptions can all affect each other. Knowing how they can collaborate can help reduce side effects and create abetter and well-rounded body. By aligning OT security teams with operations, compliance and IT, organizations can optimize production processes, enhance decision-making through real-time data analytics, and implement unified monitoring and defense strategies.This collaborative approach not only protects critical infrastructure but also ensures that operational and security efforts are interlinked, reflecting different health providers referring to the same health records.
- Are you eating healthy and exercising? Thinking about taking care of your body every day can be hard. Remembering to schedule in the time to work out and eat well is a challenge for everyone. But taking the small steps every day to tune up your body, filling it with good things and not junk, can make it harder for viruses to get in. Make progress with prioritization and tracking of your patching and mitigation efforts as part of your compliance workflow. Proactively identifying vulnerabilities every day can minimize the window of opportunity for attackers.
- Are you prepared for the known illnesses going around? Justas we can opt for a flu shot for the latest strain of the flu going around, in cybersecurity, staying ahead of known threats is crucial. By actively tracking known CVE vulnerabilities and maintaining up-to-date detection capabilities for known hashes and Indicators of Compromise (IOCs), organizations can significantly bolster their defenses. Utilizing tools like antivirus software and consistently applying patches to systems is like staying up to date on immunizations against known threats. This proactive approach ensures you're not only aware of the potential threats but also equipped to prevent them from impacting your operations.
- Have you established your health insurance? Despite best efforts, accidents or unforeseen security incidents may still occur. When it comes to your health, you don’t take any chances, making sure you have back-ups in place like health insurance when those things happen. Having well-defined incident response procedures in place can help minimize the impact of breaches and facilitate swift recovery efforts.
- Is your sensitive health information kept private? Are your new hires given correct permissions? Have employees who have left been removed from the systems? Up to date and correct governance is important so only those with clearance can see data. Likewise, who do you want to show up for you when you’re sick? The most important person in your life, or someone you have not spoken to in years. Ensure proper authentication and identity access management controls are in place.
Are you being proactive with the health of your OT systems? Industrial Defender helps reduce the unknown about your OT environment, just as your doctor can check for things you might not able to see and give you data to work with regard to your health. Regular risk assessments are essential for identifying and prioritizing potential threats to your OT infrastructure. Evaluate the likelihood and potential impact of various risks to guide your security strategies effectively.
Ensuring the robustness of your cybersecurity measures is not just best practice; it's a necessity in today's digitally interconnected world. Just as we prioritize regular health check-ups for our physical well-being, conducting routine cybersecurity health checks is necessary for safeguarding our digital assets and personal information. By staying proactive, vigilant, and informed about potential vulnerabilities, we empower ourselves to mitigate risks and navigate the complex landscape of cyberthreats with confidence.
Learn more about Industrial Defender’s capabilities for maintaining your OT systems: https://www.industrialdefender.com/ot-cyber-risk-management
