Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2022. Read them in this 14th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
OT cyberattacks drive increased adoption of SOAR, cyber hygiene and compliance
By Peter Lund, Vice President of Product Management at OT
security company Industrial Defender
Operational Technology (OT) proved its importance early
in 2021 when thousands felt the seriousness of the Colonial Pipeline ransomware
attack that left citizens uncertain of their ability to go
about their daily lives. The nation was
extremely fortunate that the attacked primarily stayed withing the confines of
IT. While gas, water, and electricity seem like guarantees, an operational
technology (OT) attack is a blatant reminder that bad actors can put these
necessities to a halt all too easily. With these disasters on our hands, we
will see more of a focus on OT cybersecurity efforts as we enter 2022 - and
these are the steps that will get us there.
We will see greater adoption of SOAR in OT
Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR) is
standard practice in IT. In 2022, we'll see more OT cybersecurity experts rely
on these guidelines to ensure OT security as well.
OT passive monitoring solutions will need to expand
active data collection capabilities to keep up with OT asset management use
cases
Many enterprises rely on outdated monitoring solutions
that don't account for real-time data collection. To better manage OT assets,
it will be crucial to expand data collection capabilities.
Traditional MSSPs will double down on OT service offerings
Managed security service providers must offer OT services
in 2022 to stay competitive. This is seen with Deloitte's recent acquisition of OT security provider aeSolutions.
Renewables will face new compliance standards
Renewable energy providers have been able to avoid the
same compliance standards set for long-time utilities providers. Now, however,
with an increased reliance on alternative energy sources, we'll see an increased
need to prioritize OT security.
The U.S. government will double down on the NIST
Cybersecurity Framework for standard cybersecurity controls
The NIST Cybersecurity Framework is essential for
enterprises looking to check its cybersecurity boxes. In 2022, we can expect
NIST to continue to provide additional updates and recommendation as it aims to
standardize cybersecurity controls.
Organizations will rely less on threat intelligence and
more on preventative controls
Threat
intelligence is a key part of cybersecurity. However, enterprises are realizing
that there is limited value in knowing what their advisories are doing when
they still don't know if the doors and windows (firewalls and remote access) of
their organization are locked. I would
go as far as saying is many organizations still don't know how many doors and
windows they have. Taking a step back,
2022 will welcome a renewed focus on basic hygiene.
SBOMs will remain trendy, but adoption will lag because
of OEMs
The ongoing log4j vulnerability saga makes it clear (yet
again) that we need SBOMs.
Unfortunately, until we get buy in from the major OEMs that supply the
hardware and software that keep the lights on customers and security vendors we
be behind the 8 ball when it comes to data accuracy and integrity. Hopefully
log4j will be a catalyst to get the industry to agree on a standard for
publishing and sharing SBOM data.
In 2022, OT cybersecurity efforts must be refined to
reduce the number and severity of cyber attacks. By adhering to compliance and hygiene
priorities and taking into consideration the above predictions, enterprises and
their cybersecurity teams can protect themselves from bad actors seeking to
disrupt everyday life.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Peter Lund, VP of Product Management at Industrial Defender
Peter has a strong technical and business background with over 15 years of experience working with and for IT and OT product companies. Over the last five years, Peter was instrumental in bringing new features to the market for Industrial Defender. In addition to his product management role, he utilizes a wide range of experience in application development, systems engineering and marketing. Prior to working with Industrial Defender, Peter held roles at Dell EMC, Schneider Electric and KVH Industries.