Phil Tonkin, Field CTO of Dragos, warns: "The increasing connectivity brought about by digital transformation is exposing security vulnerabilities in OT systems that were often developed without considering modern threats."

Threats such as the FrostyGoop malware, which put heating systems in Ukraine out of action, or Pipedream, a scalable ICS malware, illustrate the risks. Unlike in IT, where the focus is on protecting data, OT security concentrates on maintaining physical processes and preventing outages.

Strategies for a more resilient future

Companies are increasingly recognizing the need for specialized approaches. Dragos names the following key measures for 2025:

- Develop an incident response plan for ICS:
This plan should include key contacts, staff competencies at each location, escalation guidelines and action steps for different scenarios. The plan can then be refined using tabletop simulations.

- Defensible architectures:
Segmented networks and secure protocols protect OT systems from attack and enable rapid incident recovery, effectively minimizing the attack surface.

- ICS network visibility:
Complete visibility of all devices and activities in OT networks helps to detect anomalies early. Transparency is crucial to close security gaps.

- Secure remote access:
The main focus should be on connections in and out of the OT network and not on internal network traffic, for example with multi-factor authentication (MFA).

- Risk-based vulnerability management:
An effective OT network vulnerability management program ensures timely detection of relevant vulnerabilities, accurate risk assessments and mitigation strategies to minimize exposure while maintaining operations.

Safety as a management task

Phil Tonkin, Field CTO of Dragos © Dragos

Tonkin adds: "Cybersecurity is more than just a technical challenge - it requires the active commitment of company management. Those who prioritize OT security will strengthen the resilience of their business and remain competitive." 2025 is expected to be the year in which OT cybersecurity is established as an indispensable standard in the industry. Companies that act early will benefit from increased security, economic stability and a long-term competitive advantage.