September 11, 2024 at 10:04AM
The exploding demand for remote access has created a vulnerable attack surface for industrial control systems, with many using multiple inadequate remote access tools. Critical infrastructure sectors are at risk, and cyberattackers have already exploited such tools in high-profile breaches. The report emphasizes the need for better management, security standards, and monitoring of remote access tools.
From the meeting notes, we can understand that there is a significant concern regarding the widespread use of remote access tools in industrial control systems (ICS) and operational technology (OT) environments. The use of multiple remote access tools (RATs) poses a substantial security risk, with a large number of organizations lacking basic enterprise-grade security standards and essential features such as multi-factor authentication (MFA). This creates a vulnerable attack surface that cyber attackers have already exploited, leading to major breaches in critical infrastructure sectors.
The meeting notes suggest that organizations should take immediate action to address this issue. This includes conducting a comprehensive inventory of all remote access tools in use, eliminating or minimizing the use of low-security tools, and establishing baseline security standards across the organization’s supply chain. Furthermore, it is crucial to govern the use of remote access tools connected to OT and ICS and to align security requirements throughout third parties within the supply chain.
Overall, the key takeaways from the meeting notes are the need for proactive measures to secure remote access in ICS/OT networks, including thorough inventory, elimination of low-security tools, establishment of baseline security standards, and governance of remote access tool usage throughout the supply chain.