Due to attackers' lack of knowledge about custom and legacy systems, operational technology (OT) cyberattacks have been comparatively mild in recent years This article explores technology ot cyberattacks. . Early signs, however, suggest that attackers are becoming more interested in and accustomed to working with industrial machinery, and that they may be about to do much more significant harm to it.

Ten years ago, it might have appeared as though a new and more dangerous era of cyberattacks was about to begin. Ukraine's power grid was compromised by Russia. An Iranian nuclear facility was sabotaged by the US and Israel. In fact, there may be extremely unpredictable systems operating even within an older site.

Derbyshire uses his local water treatment company as an example to illustrate how it has multiple separate locations spread over a wide geographic area that were constructed at various points in time. Related: AI in OT Causes a Chain Reaction of Difficult Problems Depending on what was best at the time, "some might be from the '80s, some might be from the 2000s, some might be from the 2020s, and they'll be architected differently," he says. "Everything will be different because they'll be using outdated technology from different eras."

Derbyshire continues, "understanding OT at a technical, abstract level is insufficient.

You must enter and gain a detailed understanding of the physical environment you wish to influence. "New threat vectors that can blend in with operational systems as well as LotL attacks do with Windows or Linux systems suddenly come into focus when one has a comprehensive understanding of how OT functions and is aware of how a particular OT site functions.