Cyber Security in Industrial Control Systems

IDC Info Snapshot

Cyber Security in Industrial Control Systems


Today, institutions continue to rapidly renew their operational technology networks (IACS / OT - EKS). Thanks to this transformation, operational networks and information technology (IT) networks are increasingly converging. Especially recently, digital transformation investments, which accelerated unpredictably with the pandemic, further accelerated the convergence of IT and operational technologies (OT). While business continuity maintains its critical importance in OT environments with its own unique challenges, regulatory compliance stands out as another topic to which companies should pay attention.

OT systems have a more complex structure than IT systems; and requires more extensive knowledge of the field. Considering the cyber attacks on OT systems in the past years, it has been seen that OT systems can be compromised with non-complex attacks. Globally and in Turkey, OT systems and industrial IoT devices continue to be the soft belly of companies in the sustainability of cyber security, and are defined as a new battlefield. The reasons for this are, in summary, the critical target, the vulnerable environment and the high impact level. There is an advanced cyber threat landscape, from ransom attacks to data breaches, to disable or sabotage industrial systems. It is very important for organizations to take the necessary actions on OT security without delay, as it is an easy target for attackers and an efficient spreading area for effective attacks. OT security continues to be at the center of companies with critical infrastructures in every sector, from energy to production.

What Does Network Security Mean in an OT or Industrial IoT Environment?

Network security in OT environments refers to security solutions that can speak and understand many industrial protocols, increase visibility of operations, and provide actionable insights to IT/OT professionals. Such security solutions continue to be among the most interesting solutions in Europe and Turkey. As companies achieve their goals of modernizing their facilities and OT networks, they carefully consider OT facility cybersecurity from the very beginning in order to adapt quickly to the Industry 4.0 transformation, to reduce expensive maintenance costs in the goal of being a smart factory, to increase productivity, to establish the need for secure remote access, to collect data from the field in a comprehensive way, and to analyze data with rich content.

In highly sensitive critical OT environments, network monitoring solutions and security solutions used in IT are insufficient. The security survey conducted by IDC revealed how important the following topics are OT and IoT security in organizations' IACS – OT infrastructures:

  • The security and reliability of critical systems operating 24x7 and involving critical security risk processes
  • Industrial protocols that are often unknown and inherently insecure in the IT world
  • Heterogeneous/legacy industrial networks with multiple assets and multi-link architectures
  • Volume of OT network and OT devices will continue to grow horizontally

In recent years, cyber attacks on OT systems have greatly increased the security concerns in companies. Investments in OT security solutions that are proficient in SCADA protocols, that can continuously monitor OT networks without interfering with passive monitoring and defense methods, that can perform risk analysis and that can provide consistent data continue rapidly. The need for real-time detection of cyber threats and risks is increasingly understood by companies. Complete visibility and consistent asset management across OT and IoT networks provides an opportunity for companies to minimize their cyber risk. Risks detected in real time feed the company's threat intelligence structure and allow to carry out rapid response. As companies continue to invest in critical OT infrastructures, they also expand the attack surface. For this reason, it will enable companies to protect their IACS - OT investments by monitoring the traffic in real time without leaving a blind spot in the entire OT network, taking proactive measures according to the OT risk analysis outputs, seeing all the risks in existing and new industrial equipment, advanced defense techniques and cyber intelligence.




OTD Bilişim, provides boutique services in the field of network & security by carrying out In-depth cyber security in IACS / OT ( EKS ) & IoT and IT Infrastructures, OT network visibility, next generation cyber intelligence network structuring, Facility Discovery, OT Network Analysis, Critical Infrastructure OT Security Assessment, IT / OT Architectural Design, redteaming & IRT services.

Complete visibility and consistent asset management across OT and IoT networks provides an opportunity for companies to minimize their cyber risk. Risks detected in real time feed the company's threat intelligence structure and allow to carry out rapid response.


Keep Your Information Updated

Subscribe to the newsletter to be informed about the updated information of OTD Bilişim.