In operational technology (OT) environments, cyber defense extends far beyond the traditional IT perimeter. Whereas cyberattacks against cloud servers and data centers carry consequences in the digital realm, attacks against critical infrastructure such as water facilities, power grids, and manufacturing facilities can cause everything from catastrophic equipment failures to endangering public safety.
IT/OT convergence has greatly expanded the attack surface for threats against critical infrastructure. While this transformation has brought game-changing convenience and advantages for plant managers and control systems engineers, it’s also introduced new vulnerabilities to equipment that was previously isolated from online connectivity.
With the threat landscape broadening its reach to the physical world, security teams and CISOs need to plan accordingly. A key component of this is a robust and proactive threat detection strategy that’s equipped to handle the unique challenges of OT environments.
Understanding Threat Detection in OT Environments
Compared to IT, threat detection in the OT world has some fundamental differences. Typically, IT prioritizes data confidentiality and integrity, ensuring personally identifiable information such as credit card numbers and passwords stay secure. OT security, meanwhile, must prioritize safety, reliability, and availability of physical processes and equipment. In the IT world, consequences of a breach could include anything from stolen credentials to the loss of intellectual property. With OT, operator harm or public safety implications are real possibilities.
Several challenges complicate OT threat detection. Many systems within these environments run on legacy equipment that may not have been patched for decades. That’s because they weren’t designed for online connectivity, and instead were built to focus on physical safety and availability. As digital transformation continues to require more OT environments to be brought online for the first time, the strain on security teams continues.
Additionally, the OT landscape uses many proprietary protocols that traditional IT security tools aren’t compatible with. Each protocol, such as MODBUS and BACnet, requires specialized knowledge to effectively monitor and defend, and likely lacks basic security functions such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) and encryption.
With the stakes so high, effective threat detection in OT requires a multi-pronged approach:
Conduct baseline analyses to establish what a normal operational pattern looks like for industrial control systems (ICS), which will enable the identification of anomalous behavior that could indicate compromise.
Deep inspection of OT-specific protocols can then be used to identify any unauthorized changes in how industrial devices communicate with each other.
From there, use behavioral monitoring to detect any unusual access patterns or configuration changes.
How to Detect OT Cyber Threats
In addition to a robust threat detection strategy, it’s critical to understand the nuances of the industrial threat landscape. That includes having deep knowledge of the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) of attackers and how they might be used against different organizations. Here’s a short list of common cyberthreats that target OT environments.
Ransomware
When ransomware hits a corporate network, it can unleash a cascading effect of consequences. For the industrial sector, that often means taking critical systems offline, resulting in costly operational downtime. Ransomware attacks against the industrial sector have surged by 46% through 2025, underscoring the degree to which the sector is now in the crosshairs of attackers. Key warning signs of ransomware can include anything from unusual file activity to increased system alerts or performance issues.
Living-off-the-Land Attacks
These types of attacks occur when a threat actor is able to use existing tools and processes within a network to blend in with everyday activities. This makes detection particularly challenging. While this tactic is stealthy by nature, their persistent threat is enough to persuade organizations to adopt a zero trust approach for network access that follows the principle of “never trust, always verify.”
Remote Access Exposures
One of the biggest advantages of digital transformation is secure remote access. When third parties need to access an enterprise network to perform their jobs, the ability to log in remotely saves a significant amount of time and money. However, if not properly secured, attackers can bypass authentication steps and steal credentials that grant them access, whereupon they can move laterally through the network and increase the blast radius of the attack. For defense, it’s critical to use a secure access solution that’s purpose-built to protect OT environments.
Phishing and Social Engineering
This type of attack targets employees and other company personnel with emails or other communications that look legitimate, but aren’t. When an employee clicks a link in a phishing email, the link can become an attack vector that could lead to disastrous consequences. It’s important to keep employees up to speed on best practices for recognizing what a phishing attempt looks like, and what to do in the event that they receive anything suspicious.
Supply Chain Attacks
As global economic policies shift, it undermines confidence in the supply chain, which puts critical infrastructure at even greater risk. This forces CISOs to balance demands for cyber resilience and business continuity, which is a delicate line to walk. A recent report found that nearly half of respondents said global supply chain uncertainty is posing new cyber risk to CPS assets and processes.
Strengthening Threat Detection Capabilities
A comprehensive OT threat detection strategy must protect technology, processes, and people alike. As previously mentioned, it starts with a purpose-built solution that goes beyond the confines of traditional perimeter security. Here are some key elements to consider:
Comprehensive Asset Inventory
Getting a full understanding of all assets within your environment is a baseline for proper threat detection. After all, if you can’t see it, you can’t protect it. Not only is it critical to get a clear picture of each device, but also their communication pathways, protocols, and vulnerabilities. It’s also necessary to understand the nuance of OT protocols to ensure adequate and accurate detection of threats to control systems.
Exposure Management
With an asset inventory completed, it’s best to prioritize which devices need the most protection. Ideally, this approach would focus on the potential risks to the business if a particular device were to be compromised. Taking an asset-centric approach provides only part of the picture and isn’t best-served to handle the complexities brought on by digital transformation. Additionally, it’s important to implement and test the efficacy of compensating controls for legacy OT systems that are no longer patched and updated by vendors. This potential exposure poses a great risk, and most organizations rely on compensating controls to mitigate risk and lock down legacy systems.
Network Segmentation
Isolating an enterprise network into segments simplifies the process of monitoring and enforcing communication policies. Doing this effectively also prevents lateral movement throughout a network in the event of a breach, and the segmented network zones make potential threats easier to contain.
Secure Remote Access
Attackers are increasingly exploiting insecure remote access connections to breach networks. Using the right secure access solution—ideally one that uses zero trust principles—can go a long way to keeping threats out while ensuring only authorized users can get in.
Threat Detection with the Claroty Platform
The complexities of an OT environment demand a purpose-built solution that can detect, mitigate, and contain potential threats where traditional IT-centric tools fall short. The Claroty Platform delivers all components of a robust threat detection strategy into a single industry-leading solution, combining asset inventory, network segmentation, exposure management, and secure remote access functionality.
With deep asset visibility and protocol knowledge, the Claroty Platform also seamlessly integrates with existing security operations center (SOC) tools, enabling your organization to confidently and effectively monitor and manage all threat alerts. The platform also provides unmatched visibility into network reference models such as the Purdue Model, ensuring organizations are cyber and operationally resilient.
Learn more about the platform by scheduling a demo with one of our experts.
