Quick Summary: The Rising Stakes in OT Security
Operational Technology (OT) is no longer invisible. Once quietly running factory lines, utilities, and building systems, it’s now a prime cyber target. Ransomware gangs and state-backed attackers see OT as high-impact – where downtime isn’t just costly but can threaten safety and national resilience.
Unlike IT, OT comes with legacy systems, long lifecycles, and safety trade-offs that make protection harder. The shift must be from “secure by default” to “secure by demand” – where buyers pressure vendors to deliver secure, resilient products.
In practice, OT security means:
- Asset visibility and segmentation
- Strong access controls and monitoring
- Layered defences around legacy systems
- Safety-first incident response
This is where theory must become practice. The UK’s NCSC is clear: it’s not enough to know the controls – organisations must embed them into live, safety-critical environments. That’s where the real shift begins.
What Makes OT Different (and Harder)?
OT isn’t “just another IT network.” It has unique constraints:
- Legacy tech: Decades-old devices still in operation, often with no built-in security.
- Long lifecycles: OT systems are expected to last 20–30 years, making replacement costly.
- Safety vs security trade-offs: Stopping production can be riskier than leaving a known flaw unpatched.
- IT/OT convergence: Connectivity brings efficiency, but also opens new attack paths.
- Opaque supply chains: Security fixes often depend on vendors who still ship insecure products.
For readers: Explore our guide on responding to third-party and supplier breaches for more on supply chain risks.
Making OT Cyber Security Practical
Best practices are well known, but in OT, they must be operationalised without risking uptime. Key actions include:
- Asset visibility: Maintain an up-to-date inventory of devices and connections.
- Segmentation: Keep critical OT zones separate from IT and cloud networks.
- Access control: Enforce MFA, least privilege, and monitored remote access.
- Hardening: Remove unnecessary services and applications.
- Patch management: Where patching isn’t possible, compensate with monitoring.
- Monitoring & detection: Collect logs and detect anomalies specific to OT.
- Governance: IT and OT teams must share responsibility with joint playbooks.
Ready to turn best-practice OT security into reality?
Talk to Dr Logic’s Cyber Security Team.
Tackling the “Insecure by Design” Problem
Research shows many OT products still ship with trivial vulnerabilities. Certifications can be misleading, leaving organisations with indefensible systems.
Practical steps include:
- Wrapping vulnerable systems in layered defences
- Including security clauses in procurement contracts
- Independent validation and penetration testing
- Phasing out high-risk devices over time
Incident Response in OT: Planning for the Inevitable
Incidents are not a matter of if, but when. Responding in OT requires a different playbook:
- Safety comes first – shutdowns may be more dangerous than attacks.
- Forensics are harder – evidence collection must avoid operational disruption.
- Clear roles – IT, OT engineers, and responders must know their responsibilities.
Proactive organisations prepare joint incident response plans, run cross-team drills, and simulate OT-specific attack scenarios.
A Resilience Roadmap: From Quick Wins to Long-Term Change
Building OT security isn’t a one-off exercise. It’s a phased journey:
- Short term: Asset visibility, segmentation, and access tightening.
- Medium term: Monitoring, procurement policy updates, staff training.
- Long term: Replace insecure legacy systems, embed OT security in contracts, and cultural change.
Aligning with NIS 2 regulations can provide structure, but resilience ultimately comes from an organisational culture where IT and OT collaborate.
Making OT Resilience Real
OT systems can no longer hide behind obscurity. The threats are real, the stakes are higher, and the market won’t fix itself unless organisations demand better.
At Dr Logic, we make cyber security practical and durable for OT and IT environments. From building asset inventories and designing segmented networks to running incident response drills, our ITaaS approach helps you move from aspiration to action.
Protect your operations today. Book a Cyber Security Health Check with our experts.
