The SANS Institute has published a new guidance document focussed on strategies for securing ICS/OT environments and explaining why this is a business critical requirement.
The guide, ‘ICS Is the Business: Why Securing ICS/OT Environments Is Business-Critical in 2024’, authored by Dean Parsons, emphasizes the growing need for specialized ICS security measures in the face of rising attacks.
The guide offers a comprehensive analysis of the rapidly evolving threat landscape and provides critical steps that organizations must take to safeguard their operations.
Key insights from the guide include:
The growing threat landscape
The guide details the alarming rise in cyberattacks against ICS/OT environments, with a portion targeting critical infrastructure sectors.
High-impact, low-frequency attacks
The guide highlights the dangers of high-impact, low-frequency (HILF) attacks that can potentially cause catastrophic consequences, such as widespread power outages and environmental disasters.
Five ICS critical controls
Parsons outlines the SANS five critical controls necessary for defending ICS/OT environments, including ICS-specific incident response and defensible control system network architecture. These controls are not just technical recommendations but also business imperatives supporting operational continuity and safety.
AI as an augmentation tool
The guide also discusses the role of artificial intelligence in enhancing ICS security while cautioning against over-reliance on AI at the expense of human expertise.
The reality is that these attacks are no longer a question of if, but when. Organizations in the ICS space must recognize that their ICS IS the business.
Dean Parsons
