Almost 40% of industrial control systems and critical infrastructure systems faced a cyber attack at some point in the second half of last year. In addition to being difficult to update and patch, these systems face other unique challenges when it comes to security.
Some of the reasons critical infrastructure systems are particularly vulnerable to attacks are
- The replacement of traditional controllers of control systems with attack-prone operating systems and microprocessors
- Adoption of internet-connected technologies
- Use of commercial off-the-shelf hardware, which has widely-available designs and standards
