The explosive growth in connectivity and the geopolitical environment is putting critical infrastructure around the world at risk. Connecting legacy industrial control systems (ICS) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems that critical infrastructure runs on to IT environments, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and out to the Internet makes it easier for cybercriminals and state-sponsored groups to gain access to systems and conduct malicious activities. 

Research finds that there were 420 million attacks on critical infrastructure in 2023 – a 30% increase from the prior year. And government advisories couldn’t be clearer about the rising risk. The UK’s National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) and international partner agencies as well as U.S. CERT, have issued numerous warnings of serious and imminent threats attributable to a rise in state-aligned groups and an increase in aggressive cyber activity that targets legacy vulnerabilities in internet-facing infrastructure. Their warnings come with recommended actions for the sector, but critical infrastructure providers face some formidable challenges to mitigate risk and build resilience.

Challenges Facing Critical Infrastructure

Resources
Operational factors such as the hybrid work model and the convergence of IT and operational technology (OT) environments make it easier for attackers to move laterally. But there’s also the more human aspects of employee retention and satisfaction that also pose challenges. Security teams are overwhelmed by alerts and lack the threat data and intelligence required to discuss security with executive leadership and justify additional resources needed to improve security operations.  

Threat Landscape
Multi-vector attacks are on the rise and more difficult to protect against. At the same time, getting visibility into the expanding attack surface that consists of legacy technologies as well as mobile and IoT devices is a major challenge.

Outdated Infrastructure
ICS and SCADA systems are often in place for years and were never designed with security in mind. The number of vulnerabilities disclosed in these systems continues to rise, but OT teams are reluctant to update them for fear of causing disruption and downtime. This risk of compromise mounts as OT and IT environments converge.

Stepping Up Protection
Legislation, including the European Union Cyber Resilience Act and the U.S. Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act, is calling for manufacturers of connected devices to adhere to new security standards. However, simply updating systems isn’t enough. Critical infrastructure entities also need a better way to sift through the hype when news of an attack makes the headlines and understand the impact to them and how to mitigate risk.

How to Create a Data-Driven Approach to Security Operations 

Taking a data-driven approach to security operations will give critical infrastructure providers the context they need to make better decisions, accelerate threat detection and response, and advance IT security and OT team collaboration. Working seamlessly with existing workflows and security infrastructure, teams are able to:

1. Consolidate and Contextualize threat data from all external and internal sources in order to focus on critical assets and vulnerabilities.
2. Prioritize and Address known security vulnerabilities in currently active exploits which may impact regulatory status and security posture.
3. Proactively Hunt for malicious activity across the connected environment which may signal malware, credential gathering, denial-of-service attacks, or other disruptions and potential harm to customers, employees, and constituents.
4. Accelerate Analysis and Response to attacks through collaborative threat analysis that enables shared understanding and coordinated response among IT security and OT teams. 

The ThreatQ Platform equips critical infrastructure providers with a data-driven approach to security operations that enables collaboration between teams and accelerates detection and response to mitigate the impact of attacks.

For more details, download the new Industry Brief – HERE. 

To see the ThreatQ Platform in action, schedule a demo today.