Major attacks on industrial systems are on the rise, yet security efforts to protect these systems continue to lag behind. Credit: Metamorworks / Getty Images A report commissioned by cloud security company Barracuda found that 94% of respondents have experienced some form of attack on their industrial IoT (IIoT) or operational technology (OT) systems during the last 12 months.The State of Industrial Security in 2022 report surveyed 800 senior IT and security officers responsible for these industrial systems.“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, senior vice president for data protection, network, and application security at Barracuda said in a statement accompanying the report. Geopolitical tension on the riseRecent attacks such as those targeted through the SolarWinds attack, and the Russian DDoS attack on Lithuania last month, have raised concerns over nation state-backed attacks on industrial systems. As a result, the survey found that 89% of the respondents are very or fairly concerned about the current geopolitical situation. Constellation Research analyst Liz Miller acknowledged that “the Russian invasion of Ukraine set the world on high alert as it anticipated vulnerabilities in IIoT devices becoming prime targets should the battle enter the cyberspace.”Manufacturing and healthcare industries lag behindThe report noted that 93% of respondents admitted that their organization had failed in their IIoT/OT security projects, with a lack of skills and tools often blamed. Furthermore, only 18% of companies surveyed restrict network access and enforce multifactor authentication (MFA), leaving networks open to attacks. Around half of respondents believe that their organization can handle applying security updates themselves, leaving many needing external help. The report notes that the worst hit organizations tend to be those that rely on manual updates and don’t have access to automation tools. Manufacturing and healthcare were identified as the least prepared industries, with only 24% and 17% respectively able to complete their security projects.“Healthcare has been put through the wringer these past two years with the global pandemic making medical infrastructure and critical systems ripe targets for attackers,” Miller said. “Most healthcare CISOs and CIOs I speak with are exhausted and are pushing through with budgets that seem large but aren’t what they need to accelerate projects and are facing skills shortages to maintain networks, let alone advance projects.” Related content feature The biggest data breach fines, penalties, and settlements so far Hacks and data thefts, enabled by weak security, cover-ups or avoidable mistakes have cost these companies a total of nearly $4.4 billion and counting. By Shweta Sharma and Michael Hill Apr 26, 2024 16 mins Data Breach Security news New CISO appointments 2024 Keep up with news of CSO, CISO, and other senior security executive appointments. By CSO Staff Apr 26, 2024 14 mins CSO and CISO IT Jobs IT Governance news Top cybersecurity product news of the week New product and service announcements from Forcepoint, Ionix, Amplifier Secutiry and Torq. By CSO staff Apr 26, 2024 81 mins Generative AI Security feature Looking outside: How to protect against non-Windows network vulnerabilities Security administrators who work in Windows-based environments should heed the lessons inherent in recent vulnerability reports. By Susan Bradley Apr 25, 2024 7 mins Windows Security Network Security Security Practices PODCASTS VIDEOS RESOURCES EVENTS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe