SANS Institute Unveils Critical Infrastructure Strategy Guide for 2024: A Call to Action for Securing ICS/OT Environments

SANS Institute Unveils Critical Infrastructure Strategy Guide for 2024: A Call to Action for Securing ICS/OT Environments

August 30, 2024 at 02:42AM

The SANS Institute has released a guide, “ICS Is the Business,” by Dean Parsons. It addresses the increasing need for ICS security in the face of a 50% rise in ransomware attacks in 2023. The guide emphasizes the critical steps organizations must take to safeguard their operations and ensure public safety in the face of evolving cyber threats. Access the full guide at https://ift.tt/sLNwHCv.

Key Takeaways from the Meeting Notes:

1. There has been a significant increase in ransomware attacks targeting industrial control systems (ICS) in 2023, emphasizing the growing need for specialized ICS security measures.

2. The SANS Institute has released a strategy guide authored by Dean Parsons, CEO of ICS Defense Force, highlighting the critical steps organizations must take to safeguard their operations and ensure public safety in the face of escalating cyber threats.

3. The guide emphasizes the alarming rise in cyber-attacks against ICS/OT environments, particularly targeting critical infrastructure sectors, and stresses the importance for organizations to recognize that their ICS is fundamental to their business.

4. It highlights the dangers of high-impact, low-frequency (HILF) attacks that can cause catastrophic consequences and outlines the SANS five critical controls necessary for defending ICS/OT environments.

5. The guide also discusses the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in enhancing ICS security while cautioning against over-reliance on AI at the expense of human expertise.

6. The SANS Institute encourages all organizations with ICS/OT environments to download the strategy guide and begin implementing the recommended security controls.

Overall, the key message is that protecting our critical infrastructure is not just a technical challenge but a business-critical imperative that requires immediate action.

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