Operational Technology controls physical processes, so cyber risks can disrupt safety, reliability, and availability across connected industrial systems.
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Operational technology (OT) comprises hardware and software that monitor and control physical processes—such as PLCs, RTUs, HMIs, SCADA, and DCS—in manufacturing, utilities, transport, and buildings. Its assets include controllers, sensors, actuators, engineering workstations, and the networks linking them. OT depends on precise timing, reliable communications, and safe states; outages or incorrect commands can stop production or affect physical safety, even when little sensitive data is involved.
Security concerns arise where OT connects to enterprise networks, vendor remote-access paths, or internet-facing services. Legacy protocols and long-lived devices may lack authentication, encryption, logging, or practical patching options. A compromise could alter setpoints, inhibit alarms, or disrupt availability, but impact depends on process design and safeguards. Defenders typically segment control networks, restrict and monitor remote access, maintain asset and dependency inventories, use passive monitoring where active scanning is risky, and test recovery and safe manual operation. Vulnerability management must account for maintenance windows, vendor support, and safety validation rather than treating every patch like IT.
Deal Combines Dragos OT Threat Detection With runZero, NetRiseAccenture is acquiring a majority stake in Dragos and full ownership of runZero and NetRise in a $4.2 billion deal to build an end-to-end OT cybersecurity platform for power grids, water systems, manufacturing plants and other critical infrastructure operators.
Vital Service Providers Need a Plan to Work Through Internet Outages, CISA SaysCritical U.S. infrastructure like water, power and even banking systems will be successfully hacked by enemy cyber warriors in the event of a military confrontation with a peer adversary like Russia or China, officials from the nation's civilian cyber defense agency said.
The consulting giant’s majority stake in Dragos, along with the purchase runZero and NetRise, marks its first major push into operational technology software as AI-driven threats to critical infrastructure intensify. The post Accenture shells out $4.18B on three companies in big industrial cybersecurity push appeared first on CyberScoop.
OT Operators Shouldn't Wait for Mythos Access to Probe CodebasesThe abrupt, government-ordered cut-off of access to Mythos 5, the most cyber-capable of Anthropic's large language models, has underlined a message security experts have been trying to get out to the operational technology community: You don't need Mythos.