Alex Smith |
Organisations are struggling to protect operational technology (OT), which is leading to security breaches. In fact, research by security solutions provider Barracuda found that 94 per cent of the organisations surveyed had experienced a security incident during 2021.
This is among the findings of the company’s new report, The state of industrial security in 2022, which was carried out by independent market research firm Vanson Bourne. The report captures IT decision makers’ perspectives on industrial internet of things (IIoT) and OT security projects, implementation challenges, and a variety of issues related to cybersecurity risks.
The survey includes responses from 800 senior IT managers, senior IT security managers, and project managers responsible for IIoT/OT in their organisation. They came from organisations with more than 500 employees in the USA, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Australia.
Overall, the research shows that critical infrastructure is under attack, and despite all businesses agreeing that IIoT and OT security is critical, they are facing some significant challenges as the geopolitical landscape becomes increasingly tense. Security breaches have been shown to cause extensive damage, including monetary losses and, in some case, significant downtime. In total, 87 per cent of organisations that experienced an incident were impacted for more than one day.
Organisations acknowledged the importance of security development, with 96 per cent of business leaders noting that their organisation needs to increase their investment in industrial security. A full 72 per cent of organisations signalled that they have either already implemented or are in the process of implementing IIoT/OT security projects, but many are facing difficulties when it comes to implementation of even basic cyber hygiene.
The manufacturing and healthcare sectors in particular are lagging behind, with only 24 per cent of organisations having completed a cybersecurity project. Success has been far from guaranteed, with 93 per cent of business having failed in their IIoT/OT security project due to cost, time constraints and poor organisation. However, of those who have completed security projects, 75 per cent have experienced no impact at all from a major incident.
This article was originally published in the Autumn 2022 issue of Technology Record. To get future issues delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for a free subscription.