OT Security: Safeguarding your Revenue Generating Assets
Key Challenges in Operation Technology
Operational technology (OT) systems are critical for controlling physical processes and operations in industries such as pharmaceuticals, energy, manufacturing, and utilities. Compromised OT systems result in direct revenue loss and safety hazards; insecure OT environments are a direct threat to a company's bottom line.
OT Networks are Flat: Operational technology (OT) networks often lack the segmentation found in traditional IT setups. This flat structure makes it easier for threats to move laterally across the network, increasing the risk of breaches that can compromise critical systems.
Ransomware Threat: Ransomware attacks targeting OT systems are on the rise, posing severe risks of downtime and substantial financial impact. With operations held hostage, organizations can face extended disruptions and costly recovery efforts.
Commingled IT or OT Infrastructure: Blending IT and OT infrastructure introduces vulnerabilities, as critical OT assets are exposed to the threats present in IT environments. This integration can create an attack path to essential systems, underscoring the importance of tailored security for both infrastructures.
Achieving OT Network Segmentation in 100 days with Legal Matters Consul*
- OT Site Segmentation
- OT Data Center Separation
OT Site Segmentation
OT site segmentation divides an organization's operational technology environment into isolated security zones, reducing the risk of threats spreading across critical assets and processes. This structured approach strengthens defenses by containing potential breaches, maintaining continuity of essential operations and reducing financial impact during an attack.
Many organizations rely on a flat network structure within their OT environments, where a single, overly-permissive shopfloor zone connects revenue-generating processes and assets. This structure can leave the organization vulnerable—a breach could easily spread across the overall environment, putting critical operations at risk.
By implementing segmentation within the OT environment, organizations can divide the shopfloor into multiple security zones. This approach contains potential breaches within isolated areas, protecting critical processes and reducing both operational impact and revenue loss in the event of an attack.
OT Data Center Separation
OT data center separation establishes a dedicated network for operational technology, isolating it from the enterprise IT environment. This approach protects critical OT assets by reducing the risk of cross-contamination from IT threats, making sure that OT operations can function independently and securely, with minimal disruption to essential processes.
Currently, OT and IT infrastructures are often combined, creating shared dependencies that place OT processes and assets at risk if the enterprise network is breached. This setup allows threats to move easily from IT to OT, increasing the vulnerability of critical operations and revenue-generating assets.
Moving from a commingled network to a separated model involves establishing a dedicated OT data center network. This process creates a distinct separation between the enterprise and OT environments, confirming that OT assets operate independently from IT. Through this segmentation, organizations can contain risks more effectively, isolating OT operations from potential threats and securing the continuity of essential processes.
*LMC will design the target state and create an implementation plan to protect revenue-generating assets from threats in 100 days.
Proving Grounds
LMC has a strong foundation of experience delivering strategic solutions across industries. Our team combines industry knowledge with innovative approaches to help organizations navigate challenges, drive growth, and enhance resilience. With a focus on sectors like energy, manufacturing, and retail, LMC is committed to providing tailored insights and actionable results that align with our clients' unique goals and operational needs.
LMC helped a major oil and gas provider in addressing the risks of a combined OT and IT infrastructure, which left critical systems vulnerable to cross-environment threats. By implementing a full data center separation strategy, LMC established a clear division between operational systems and enterprise services. This solution enhanced security, reduced risk to critical assets, and safeguarded essential operations while meeting both business and regulatory requirements.
LMC collaborated with a manufacturing company to address vulnerabilities stemming from a flat OT network structure that lacked secure segmentation, exposing critical operations to risk. Our team implemented an OT site segmentation strategy and implementation plan defining communication patterns and access restrictions across target state network zones. This facilitated the segmentation of the OT environment into secure zones, isolating potential breaches, safeguarding critical processes, enhancing operational resilience, and mitigating the risk of revenue loss.
LMC assisted a client to evaluate the readiness of distribution center networks across the US for segmentation. Leveraging our expertise, we conducted comprehensive site walkthroughs, asset discovery, and network observations. Our team delivered detailed reports and enhanced asset inventories, laying the groundwork for network segmentation and paving the way for future operational technology security improvements.
Sources:
1 Palo Alto Networks. (2024). State of OT Security Report 2024.
2 Claroty Ltd. (2024). Claroty Survey Report: Business Disruptions.
