CAMPBELL, Calif., July 12, 2022
/PRNewswire/ — Barracuda Networks Inc. (Barracuda), a trusted partner
and leading provider of cloud-enabled security solutions, today released
key findings from a report titled The State of Industrial Security in 2022. Commissioned
by Barracuda, the research surveyed 800 senior IT managers, senior IT
security managers, and project managers responsible for industrial
internet of things (IIoT)/operational technology (OT) in their
organization to get their perspectives on IIoT/OT security projects,
implementation challenges, security incidents, technology investments,
and a variety of issues related to cybersecurity risks.
Overall, the research shows that critical infrastructure is under
attack, and despite agreement that IIoT and OT security is critical,
businesses are facing some significant challenges as the geopolitical
landscape becomes increasingly tense. Security breaches have shown to
have impacts beyond monetary losses as well, resulting in significant
downtime with long-lasting breach impact. The research found:
- Attacks are widespread: 94% of organizations surveyed acknowledged experiencing a security incident in the last 12 months.
- Geopolitical concerns: 89% of respondents are very or fairly
concerned about the impact that the current threat landscape and
geopolitical situation will have on their organizations. - Breaches are impacting operations: 87% of organizations that experienced an incident were impacted for more than one day.
“In the current threat landscape, critical infrastructure is an
attractive target for cybercriminals, but unfortunately IIoT/OT security
projects often take a backseat to other security initiatives or fail
due to cost or complexity, leaving organizations at risk,” said Tim Jefferson, SVP, Engineering for Data, Networks and Application Security, Barracuda. “Issues
such as the lack of network segmentation and the number of
organizations that aren’t requiring multifactor authentication leave
networks open to attack and require immediate attention.”
Organizations across the board have acknowledged the importance of
investing even further in IIoT and OT security, with 96% of business
leaders noting that their organization needs to increase their
investment in industrial security. A full 72% of organizations signaled
that they have either already implemented or are in the process of
implementing IIoT/OT security projects, but many are facing significant
challenges when it comes to implementation, including basic cyber
hygiene.
- Manufacturing and healthcare lag behind: Critical
infrastructure organizations are leading with implementation, and 50% in
oil and gas having completed projects. Only 24% in manufacturing and
just 17% in healthcare have completed projects. - Businesses are experiencing failures: 93% have failed in their IIoT/OT security projects.
- Effective IIoT security implementations are making an impact: For organizations with completed IIoT and OT security projects, 75% have experienced no impact at all from a major incident.
- Multifactor authentication (MFA) use is low: Only 18% of
companies surveyed restrict network access and enforce multifactor
authentication when it comes to remote access to OT networks. - Low MFA use is prevalent even in critical industries: Critical verticals like energy (47%) allow full remote access without MFA for external users.
- Skills have an impact: Less than half of organizations surveyed can handle applying security updates themselves (49%).
- Manual updates are cumbersome: Organizations are hit the worst when security updates are not automatic.
IIoT and OT security continue to be a major target for attackers, but
there is hope for businesses that take a proactive approach. Businesses
should implement tools to combat these challenges, including the use of
secure endpoint connectivity devices and ruggedized network firewalls,
all centrally deployed and managed via a secure cloud service that can
enable effective network segmentation and advanced threat protection,
provide multifactor authentication, and even implement Zero Trust
Access.
“IIoT attacks go beyond the digital realm and can have real-world implications.” said Klaus Gheri, VP Network Security, Barracuda. “As
attacks continue to rise across industries, taking a proactive security
approach when it comes to industrial security is critical for
businesses to avoid being the next victim of an attack.”
Resources:
Download the full report: https://barracuda.com/iiot-2022-report
Read the blog post: http://cuda.co/51231
About Barracuda
At Barracuda we strive to make the world a safer place. We believe
every business deserves access to cloud-first, enterprise-grade security
solutions that are easy to buy, deploy, and use. We protect email,
networks, data, and applications with innovative solutions that grow and
adapt with our customers’ journey. More than 200,000 organizations
worldwide trust Barracuda to protect them — in ways they may not even
know they are at risk — so they can focus on taking their business to
the next level. For more information, visit barracuda.com. 
