Example of a production environment, such as at Eberspaecher Automotive Controls
Operational Technology (OT) cybersecurity has made noticeable progress in recent years. However, a look at 2024 reveals that much remains to be done. Demands are increasing, attack surfaces are expanding, and the requirements for resilience and defense capabilities are growing. Industry and critical infrastructure operators face the challenge of protecting their physical processes and control networks (OT) effectively—without jeopardizing ongoing operations.
Complexity Instead of Clarity
The digitalization of industrial processes continues to advance, but so does the complexity of attack vectors. While most cyber incidents still originate in the IT environment, spillover effects increasingly impact OT networks (see Fig. 1). Recent analyses show that in 2024, 1,076 industrial sites worldwide were affected by such incidents—a nearly 1,000% increase since 20201. Critically, many companies still lack a reliable view of their own OT infrastructure.
Fig. 1: Top 5 initial attack vectors on industrial companies
Seeing Systems, Understanding Risks
The German OT security company Rhebo has found through numerous Industrial Security Assessments that fundamental vulnerabilities often persist in OT networks despite rising awareness. Outdated protocols, unsecured authentication, and internet-connected components without monitoring are common. Even in 2024, three-quarters of examined OT systems sent uncontrolled data connections to the internet (see Fig. 2). Without structured visibility, these risks often go unnoticed for long periods. Meanwhile, a widespread misconception remains that a firewall or SIEM system alone is sufficient for OT attack detection.
In their latest report, “The State of OT Cybersecurity 2024/2025 – Metrics and Trends, Global and Local,” Rhebo analyzes last year’s vulnerability assessments in OT networks and compares them with global and national observations.