The technical complexity of legacy OT, coupled with organizational barriers, demands a targeted, modern security strategy that prioritizes resilience and operational continuity.
Perimeter firewalls and basic intrusion detection alone cannot defend against today’s sophisticated threats. The solution lies in adaptive security architectures and prevention-first approaches.
A key foundational strategy we recommend is network segmentation and Zero Trust principles.
Implementing these principles in an OT environment can be achieved through a phased, minimally disruptive approach:
1. Containment by Design
Use network segmentation and segregation to separate system components into logically separate networks. This is critical to ensure that if a breach occurs, the threats are contained to specific zones, preventing lateral movement into critical assets.
2. Least-Privilege Access
Apply Zero Trust principles to enforce continuous verification and fine-grained access controls, ensuring users, devices, and external entities (such as OEMs needing remote access) only connect to the precise resources they absolutely need.
4. Protecting Operations
Techniques like microsegmentation at the edge or deploying virtual patching can mitigate risks against vulnerable devices without requiring the physical intervention or downtime needed for standard patches, preserving operational continuity.
By integrating these controls, manufacturing organizations can strengthen security and reduce vulnerabilities without compromising the uptime, integrity, and availability of their critical systems.
Is your adaptive prevention strategy up to date?
Networks and cybersecurity are our expertise. We can help you develop or enhance a network segmentation strategy to protect your systems, from office spaces to the production floor.