A release this week from networking and security provider Fortinet adds to the evidence from other reports this year that all show the threat to manufacturing OT from cyberattacks is rising sharply.
According to the 2024 State of Operational Technology and Cybersecurity Report by Fortinet, 49% of respondents in 2023 experienced an intrusion that impacted either their OT systems only or both their IT and OT systems, but this year nearly three-fourths (73%) of these organizations have been impacted. The survey data also shows a sizable year-over-year increase in intrusions that only affected OT systems (from 17% to 24%).
Also, nearly one-third (31%) of respondents reported more than six intrusions in the last year, compared to only 11% in 2023. All intrusion types increased compared to the previous year, except for a decline in malware, according to a release from Fortinet.
Phishing and compromised business email intrusions were the most common, while the most common techniques used were mobile security breaches and web compromise, according to the global Fortinet survey of more than 550 OT professionals, conducted by a third-party research company.