By Anand Oswal, Senior Vice President and GM at cyber security leader Palo Alto Networks Critical infrastructure forms the fabric of our society, providing power for our homes and businesses, fuel for our vehicles, and medical services that preserve human health. With the acceleration of digital transformation spurred by the pandemic, larger and larger volumes of critical infrastructure and services have become increasingly connected. Operational technology (OT) serves a critical role as sensors in power plants, water treatment facilities, and a broad range of industrial environments. Digital transformation has also led to a growing convergence between OT and information technology (IT). All of this connection brings accessibility benefits, but it also introduces a host of potential security risks. Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure threaten many aspects of our lives It’s a hard fact that there isn’t an aspect of life today free from cyberthreat. Ransomware and phishing attacks continue to proliferate, and in recent years, we’ve also seen an increasing number of attacks against critical infrastructure targets. Even in environments where OT and IT have been traditionally segmented or even air-gapped, these environments have largely converged, presenting attackers with the ability to find an initial foothold and then escalate their […]
