As organizations strive to make their operations more agile in response to dynamic marketplace, they try to connect their Operational Technology (OT) systems to the Information Technology (IT) Infrastructure. Now, although there are significant benefits, such as access to real-time market data, major cost savings and effective and efficient monitoring of processes, this connection exposes OT systems to key security challenges. According to Fortinet’s 2019 Operational Technology Security Trends Report, 77% of OT leaders said they experienced a malware intrusion in the past year and half experienced between three and ten.
The Fortinet 2019 Operational Technology Security Trends Report analyzes data gathered from millions of Fortinet devices to discern the state of cybersecurity for ICS and SCADA systems.
Some of the key trends from the report indicate:
1. Increasing IT-based attacks impacting OT systems
With OT systems getting connected to IT networks, chances of more attacks increase. More and more cyber attackers target IT and OT systems at an organization simultaneously with the same malware. Since OT systems often use older technology and security operations are frequently less developed, the attackers have a higher rate of success there.
Malware recycling for OT
Cyber attackers are reusing legacy malware packages that were used in the past for IT attacks, but are now caught by any signature-based IT security solution. Figure 1 shows the percentage of existing threats detected by Fortinet during each month of the year, as well as the number of devices with OT protocols hit by any of the threats each month.
The figure shows that the pattern is very cyclical: when more threats are being used, fewer devices are hit, and vice versa. This cycle shows that adversaries are casting about for new vulnerabilities in newly connected OT systems. In the “reconnaissance” phase, they test a wider variety of old malware on a relatively small number of machines. Once they identify the threats that were successful, they move into an “attack” phase, using the subset of attacks that proved successful on a larger number of machines. Their aim is to maximize the value of existing malware before investing in creating new, more targeted attacks.
Another factor may also contribute to this seasonal variation in the use of new versus old threats. Specifically, attacks on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and electrical grids are more likely to occur when these systems are operating at peak usage—most often during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer months. The age of an OT system is also a factor, with adversaries tending to target older technology more frequently than newer, more secure technology.
Cyber attackers targeting devices using variety of OT protocols
While IT systems have been standardized for many years on the TCP/IP protocol, OT systems use a wide array of protocols, many of which are specific to functions, industries, and geographies. The OPC Foundation was established in the 1990s as an attempt to move the industry toward protocol standardization. OPC’s new Unified Architecture (OPC UA) has the potential to unite protocols for all industrial systems, but that consolidation is many years away due to the prevalence of legacy protocols and the slow replacement cycle for OT systems.
Cyber criminals have actively attempted to capitalize on this confusion by targeting the weak links in each protocol. These structural problems are exacerbated by the lack of standard protections and poor security hygiene practiced with many OT systems—a legacy of the years when they were air gapped. Figure 2 shows the number of unique threats targeting machines using specific ICS/SCADA protocols.
Despite seasonal fluctuations and a wide variety of targets, the data is clear on one thing: IT-based attacks on OT systems are increasing.
For example, Figure 1 shows that the spike in new threats detected is much higher at the end of the year than the spike at the beginning of the year.
2. Increasing Malware and Ransomware attacks targeting safety systems
Malware targeted specifically at ICS and SCADA systems has been developed for a decade or longer, but examples are not numerous. OT specific exploits include Stuxnet, Havex, Industroyer, and most recently, Triton/Trisis.
Ransomware also continued to attack OT systems. For instance, NotPetya Ransomware massively affected both IT and OT systems.
3. OT system attacks transcending geographically
In a global economy dominated in many industries by global players and characterized by extreme connectivity, geography is easy to traverse for legitimate actors as well as criminals. While attacks targeting most vendors were relatively level from region to region, Rockwell and Schneider exploits disproportionately affected North America, while Siemens attacks were more frequent in Asia Pacific. In all three cases, this reflects where the strong markets are for each company. On the other hand, Moxa systems are ubiquitous and heavily targeted around the world, despite the Japan-centric nature of the biggest attack on its users—the Moxa 313 vulnerability.
While the BACnet and Modbus protocols were heavily targeted around the world, EMEA saw the most intense level of detections. The volume of attacks on machines using the other protocols was either fairly level across geographies or more focused in the areas where they are most commonly used. For example, ICCP is primarily used by vendors such as Siemens and Honeywell, which have a smaller footprint in Asia.
Therefore, a threat landscape should be taken seriously by any organization that has connected ICS/SCADA systems as these have historically been the technology workhorses at many organizations, lasting for decades without major upgrades. The reality of advanced persistent threats requires a more strategic approach—everything from patching to segmentation to access control. It is imperative that those systems are subject to the same level of security protection, the same security hygiene standards, and the same tracking and reporting processes as the IT network. Otherwise, the OT network will be the weak link through which adversaries are able to infiltrate and gain access to critical systems and data—both OT and IT.
To make this happen, the IT and OT functions in every organization need to overcome the cultural challenges brought on by their past isolation.
The groups must come to understand each other’s values so that a mutually beneficial relationship can be forged for the future. The threats are real, and they will get bigger. The best way to counter them is with a comprehensive, strategic approach involving an entire organization.
Related: what are some possible consequences of stakeholder mismanagement, bygningsreglement afstand til skel, brigantine 4×4 permit 2022, scott foley westport, ct, rent to own homes trussville, al, tierney elizabeth mccarthy, mmat preferred shares payout, , describe your budget management experience, gusto brazil cheese bread air fryer, how to invite yourself to someone’s house, walking manhattan sideways book, what turns on a pisces woman, heatseeker strain leafly, veronica alexander big boy’s wife,Related: ford fusion radio no sound, average attention span by age pdf, skimming and scanning worksheets for grade 7, chuck lorre vanity cards 1, sig sauer p226 pellet gun magazine, kwame brown shoe size, ecoflow delta 1300 vs jackery 1000, google monitoring dashboard terraform, echo in jesus’ name track, men’s robes lightweight, complete activities in southwest division 2, tva political cartoon, how many kilos of rice for 15 persons, haritaki brain bactrim, g10 sunburst grips,Related: torchlight 3 best solo build, what element is [kr] 5s24d105p3, is dakota davidson married, living learning communities duke, lindenwold fine jewelers cubic zirconia 1 carat, chris oladokun draft projection, special characters copy and paste, stambaugh middle school bell schedule, guilford county schools staff email, as the mutts attacked at the cornucopia katniss realized what, katangian ng zambales, florida man november 6, 2000, duggar family wiki grandchildren, crain funeral home obits murphysboro, il, as wobbly as simile,Related: dr fred summit arthritis & sport rubbing alcohol ingredients, the river murders, broward county sheriff phone number, spock pure energy, pydantic vs dataclasses, crown mark bed assembly instructions, live parrot fish for sale, kenneth weate, yamaha sr400 performance mods, mupen64 vs project64, venezuelan passport renewal 2020, ipl 2021 broadcast channel list, skyrim paralyze self, cockroach killing bait powder highly effective, tyco rc cars list,Related: , hub coordinator shopee salary, parking by a fire hydrant michigan, mansions in austin texas, www macomb daily com manage subscription, woodlawn football roster, what car does hudson drive in hudson and rex, why is rep fitness always out of stock, baby measuring 2 weeks behind on growth scan, poshmark seller sent wrong item, boating accident in florida today, the friend by matthew teague pdf, exterior wood filler bunnings, cynthia johnson obituary 2020, rpao medical abbreviation surgery,Related: sean o se han significado, houston chronicle obituaries past 30 days, maroon bells bus reservations, mark spaeth a developer and city councilman in austin tex, beth ringwald character in sixteen candles, artillery avalanche control jobs, ingrown hair pictures, celebrities with benign fasciculation syndrome, vijayawada municipal corporation election results, newington police department, crime rate barcelona vs london, barbara chu wife of john kerr, bellview middle school student dies, can you use nystatin powder with interdry, famous honduran actors,Related: fotomontaje con mensajes cristianos, dana katz obituary, global methodist church locations, david ray mccoy net worth at time of death, flexor tendon sheath ganglion cyst causes, jesse duplantis daughter and granddaughter, apat na sektor ng ekonomiya, ladd drummond; mother, davidson county clerk tag renewal, stephanie richardson colorado springs, how to test alerts in streamelements, dolly parton’s home sevierville tn, department of human services hazlehurst, ms, private number code vodacom, why did catherine herridge leave fox news,Related: ombudsman palm beach county, ovi rapper net worth, matheson learnshare login, melton council noise restrictions, star trek fleet command intrepid upgrade costs, royal family of jerusalem, 30 day weather forecast springfield, il, elizabeth holmes eye color, overton living single cast member dies, kategoria superiore 2020 21 renditja, dennis durkin attorney, east grinstead observer archives, how much is the busby house worth, usfa softball tournaments florida, adam gentry stroke,Related: lux funeral home obituaries new braunfels, tx, host of shell’s wonderful world of golf, how old is david henderson civil rights attorney, st peregrine church mass schedule, open policy agent vs casbin, owensboro public schools jobs, colleges that allow freshmen to live off campus, why is an assist called an apple in hockey, anthony mancini obituary, north korea and norway are separated by one country, mask mandate colorado 2022, payoff red blend wine, , pfizer covid vaccine extended expiration dates, lightning dinghy for sale,Related: how many times is faith mentioned in hebrews 11, goth emojis combo, limited capability for work payments, texas verified denial example, betsy mitchell cipriano, harlow crematorium funerals, robert charles graves accident, does james caan have back issues, substitute another noun for bone in sentence one, amy digiovanna barker, sabrina kouider children, former tbn singers, charles williams florida, border grill sweet potato tacos recipe, monahans news obituary,Related: omaha central high school bell schedule, houses for rent sumter, sc $700 or less, careers for restrained introverts, how to fix spacing between words in indesign, dr riek machar education background, tim norman update news, how changing a value affects the mean and median, michael j fox grandchildren, list of companies unions have destroyed, jobs that are hiring in new orleans, 439 port richmond ave staten island, adrian $111,000 1:1 up to 3, what to write when giving a prayer shawl, attitude soap recall, vaporesso xros leaking from air hole,Related: wasserman media group subsidiaries, katt williams world war iii tour opening act, dead casting director carrie hilton doc martin, what is caterpillar’s global strategy, la crosse technology 433mhz remote sensor, altar of infusion vampirism, cotton candy catering los angeles, st george’s neurology contact number, california rent control disclosure, ed gordon wife karen haney, shaq davis recruiting, schnauzer puppies for sale in washington, general blanco mexico real life, justin thomas witb 2021 golfwrx, vehicle service division private and confidential,Related: mike murphy rosecliff, st marys ohio spring clean up 2021, david cook blockbuster biography, dr siddiqui pulmonologist, 78 cadillac le cabriolet for sale, summer jobs in hawaii for college students with housing, morena koutou ma, hagley road accident today, haaland transfer oddschecker, 99 centennial grove rd essex massachusetts for rent, star herald luverne mn obituaries, the first orphanage in new york city, following directions iep goal preschool, masoud shojaee shoma age, correlation between categorical variables excel,Related: loverboy drink caffeine, lineman college housing, hoi4 change ideology popularity command, top of the rock missouri golf cart tour, gangsta glue strain, , cota skin owner, names that mean curious, happy valley school principal, manta rays at mauna kea beach hotel, international bridge wait time, purple mold on bread, patton funeral home knoxville, tennessee obituaries, dizziness while eating first bite food, was jessie buckley in the durrells,Related: is jim lovell’s wife marilyn still alive, best nh towns to commute to boston, is taxidermy legal in california, chase field garage parking, billings police crime reports, cute thirty one business names, caster or granulated sugar for ice cream, cracker barrel par test website, pwc singapore senior manager salary, altoona, iowa police reports, fatal motorcycle accident massachusetts, drury hotel cleveland haunted, steve reed senior director of international event security at ufc, marvelous mrs maisel telethon host actor, why does canned chicken smell like tuna,Related: tattu restaurant menu, esther hall husband, what happened to virginia and charlie on the waltons, halimbawa ng pangyayari sa parabula at pangyayari sa sariling karanasan, keetso kittens for sale, texas deer hunts under $2000, oldest crocodile fossil, jack silvagni grace phillips, gianni decenzo stranger things, spanish accent stereotypes, jesse rongey obituary, depleted oil reserves and surges in greenhouse gas emissions, translation graph calculator, como se llama mercado libre en estados unidos, bertocchi meaty hock smoked,Related: flip or flop north hollywood house did it sell, cartas para mi novia largas que hagan llorar, utep assistant football coaches salaries, bad bunny summer stadium tour, things to make out of a loved ones clothing, borda count method pros and cons, inventory fulfilled lenscrafters, tatuajes de serpientes en la mano, external factors affecting educational achievement sociology, hot springs airbnb washington, joseph digirolamo obituary, gooseberry intimates models, monica silfverskiold, hospic trstice cennik, central park boathouse wedding the knot,Related: uno december 2022 graduation date, boston children’s hospital waltham blood lab hours, fairbanks police department officers, letter to my son in heaven on his birthday, golf cart trader florida, barbados taxi rates from airport, hebrew word generator, teddy balkind video of accident, uncomfortable demanding situation in community example, underground bunkers for sale in tennessee, tivy high school football tickets, , how to numb your skin before cutting it, john b wells radio stations, list of motorcycle clubs in michigan,Related: danny provenzano obituary, mark dacascos iron chef salary, sometimes they come back train tunnel, amerigroup assistive devices catalog, casas de venta en sonzacate, sonsonate, el salvador, 5 letter word ending in e second letter o, universal credit health assessment advisory service, granville woods family, economic impact of osha in aviation, bittner funeral chapel obituaries mitchell, boulder creek academy abuse, silicon valley commercial real estate trends, tribesigns corner shelf assembly instructions, therapeutic recreation internships with housing, lds jokes for talks,Related: jones college prep honor roll, leicester mercury court news, crime rate in new orleans 2022, when was arndale centre built, tesco disciplinary checklist, crosby middle school fights, disadvantages of g suite for education, minecraft better end terminite, thelma ferguson net worth, robert malloy kim novak husband, west seattle high school student death, wentworth aircraft salvage, caesars palace colosseum covid restrictions, man shot and killed in riverside ca, lady bird johnson bell helicopter,Related: how to seal gap between roof and gutter, m g ramachandran family tree, tulsa county tax auction 2022, multi family homes for sale in niles, il, cdc guidelines for covid testing for elective surgery, ulster property sales donaghadee, , chad richardson paycom net worth, yelena belova and kate bishop fanfiction lemon, attorneys in hailey, idaho, lehi city council election results, pike county sheriff election results, replacement canoe seats, sims 4 move baby to different crib cheat, aimee bock, feeding our future mn,Related: how to mute someone on discord server command, most valuable dc comic cards, ccm goalie pad replacement straps, bartending assessment indeed, steph curry son has down syndrome, ppg paints arena basketball, sammamish recycling event 2022, bohemian national cemetery obituaries, celebrity cruises beer list, pga village membership cost, ara zobayan last words, amerijet shipping rates, el mirage rv park surprise, az, deaths in jersey c i, roosters wellesley staff,Related: meherrin tribe surnames, barry houghton salperton, motion to dissolve protective order louisiana, which of the following dampens the strength of seniors voting and lobbying efforts quizlet, hackney empire table seats, laboratorios de maquillaje en estados unidos, nova southeastern university dental clinic phone number, kohl’s alumni login, frenchton puppies for sale portland, oregon, east bernstadt, ky obituaries, health checks failed with these codes: [302], man found dead in downers grove, homes for sale by owner mobile, al, are there alligators in lake greeson arkansas, fettes college university destinations,Related: natural gas pipe sizing chart 2 psi, jeremy and robyn bash wedding, what happened to the lottery liar wife, tingling after getting covid vaccine, enniskillen court news, wisconsin state amatuer golf tournament, mcdonald’s calories quarter pounder with cheese, jim martin death, mark shera brother, retaliation examples at work, umich frat rankings 2020, berkeley bakery college ave, will airline pay for hotel if flight is cancelled, how much does a cubic yard of shingles weigh, louis robles attorney miami,Related: john t scalish obituary, jeff connors death, country fest los cabos 2022 lineup, permanent gold teeth atlanta ga, wellcare timely filing, keith dresser wife, michael vick college stats, the 100 grounders language translator, joan hackett cause of death, lou holtz quote on football players today, michael greenberg daughter, kevin kelley salary presbyterian, jerry schuplinski salary, little vikings football schedule, vitesse moyenne d’un adolescent,Related: highest paying tech jobs in healthcare, tru wolfpack volleyball roster, university of missouri health care salaries, metabolism 1960 proposals for a new urbanism pdf, que significa encontrarse una mariquita amarilla, new york post august 20, 2021, yugioh legacy of the duelist link evolution danger cards, durham health clinic, canadian rangers are a joke, pet hippo jessica kills owner, beverly kushida actress, ford 8n hydraulic lift control lever adjustment, picture of sally baldwin delorean, steamboat springs music festival 2022, what does pills mean in lord of the flies,Related: penalty for killing a timber rattlesnake in texas, the medicine in spanish duolingo, who is sarah davis married to, solar ppa buyout calculator, warrior cats gathering call, sirius star spiritual significance, did earle hyman have parkinson’s, missing or invalid field in promoted objects, 4th degree laceration repair dictation, asu barrett dining hall menu, boogie nights little bill kills wife, why did laura hayes leave in the cut tv show, koreatown galleria market, clemson football team captains, dead body found in little rock,
