All news with #operational technology tag

Pro-Russia Hacktivists Exploit OT Exposures in US Now

🚨 A joint advisory from CISA, the FBI, the NSA and partners warns of a surge in pro‑Russia hacktivist activity exploiting exposed VNC and other internet-facing OT interfaces to breach systems across US water, food production and energy sectors. Low-skilled groups such as CARR, NoName057(16), Z-Pentest and Sector16 employ port scans, brute-force password guessing and simple reconnaissance tools to capture screenshots, alter parameters, disable alarms and force costly manual recoveries.

Pro-Russia Hacktivists Target Critical Infrastructure

⚠️ This joint advisory from CISA, FBI, NSA, and international partners details opportunistic intrusions by pro‑Russia hacktivist groups—CARR, NoName057(16), Z‑Pentest, and Sector16—against OT/ICS environments. Actors are exploiting internet‑exposed VNC services, using open‑source scanning and brute‑force tools to access HMI devices with default or weak credentials, causing loss of view, configuration changes, and operational downtime. The advisory urges organizations to reduce public exposure, apply network segmentation, enforce strong authentication (MFA where feasible), harden device credentials, and follow secure‑by‑design guidance for OT products.

Opportunistic Pro-Russia Hacktivists Attack Critical OT

🔒CISA, alongside the FBI, NSA, DOE, EPA, the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center, and international partners, published a joint advisory describing opportunistic pro-Russia hacktivist activity targeting operational technology (OT) systems. These groups exploit minimally secured, internet-facing VNC connections to access OT control devices and have caused varying impacts, including physical damage. Named actors include Cyber Army of Russia Reborn, Z-Pentest, NoName057(16), and Sector16. The advisory recommends reducing internet exposure of OT assets, adopting mature asset-management and mapping practices, and enforcing robust authentication.

US, International Agencies Issue AI Guidance for OT

🛡️ US and allied cyber agencies have published joint guidance to help critical infrastructure operators incorporate AI safely into operational technology (OT). Developed by CISA with the Australian Signals Directorate and input from the UK's NCSC, the document covers ML, LLMs and AI agents while remaining applicable to traditional automation systems. It recommends assessing AI risks, protecting sensitive OT data, demanding vendor transparency on embedded AI and supply chains, establishing governance and testing in controlled environments, and maintaining human-in-the-loop oversight aligned with existing cybersecurity frameworks.

Strengthening OT Security with Robust Password Policies

🔒 Operational technology (OT) environments underpin critical infrastructure but frequently lag behind IT in cybersecurity maturity. Strong password policies mitigate risks from outdated hardware, shared accounts, remote vendor access, and credential reuse. Core measures include prioritizing password length, enforcing rotation with reuse prevention, and adopting password vaults. Combined with MFA, network segmentation and Privileged Access Workstations, these practices form a resilient OT security posture.

Secure Integration of AI into Operational Technology

🔒 CISA and the Australian Signals Directorate released joint guidance, Principles for the Secure Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Operational Technology, to help critical infrastructure owners and operators balance AI benefits with OT safety and reliability. The guidance focuses on ML, LLMs, and AI agents while remaining applicable to traditional statistical and logic-based systems. It emphasizes four core areas—Understand AI, Assess AI Use in OT, Establish AI Governance, and Embed Safety and Security—and recommends integrating AI considerations into incident response and compliance activities.

Guide: Secure Integration of AI in Operational Technology

🔒 The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre published a joint guide outlining four principles to safely integrate AI into operational technology (OT). The guidance emphasizes educating personnel, assessing AI uses and data risks, establishing governance, and embedding safety and security. It focuses on ML, LLMs, and AI agents while remaining applicable to other automation approaches. CISA and international partners encourage OT owners and operators to adopt these risk-informed practices to protect critical infrastructure.

Google: Cyber-Physical Attacks to Rise in Europe 2026

🚨 Google Cloud Security's Cybersecurity Forecast 2026 warns of a rise in cyber-physical attacks across EMEA targeting energy grids, transport and digital infrastructure. The report highlights increased state-sponsored espionage from Russia and China and anticipates these operations may form hybrid warfare combined with information operations to erode public trust. It also flags supply-chain compromises of managed service providers and software dependencies, and notes that cybercrime — including ransomware aimed at ERP systems — will remain a major disruptive threat to ICS/OT. Analysts further expect adversaries to increasingly leverage AI and multimodal deepfakes.

SharePoint Flaws Led to Breach at Kansas City Nuclear Plant

🔒 A foreign threat actor exploited unpatched Microsoft SharePoint vulnerabilities to infiltrate the Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC), which produces most non‑nuclear components for U.S. nuclear weapons. Honeywell FM&T, which manages the site for the NNSA, and the Department of Energy did not respond to requests for comment. Federal responders, including the NSA, were onsite in early August after Microsoft issued fixes on July 19. Attribution remains disputed between Chinese-linked groups and possible Russian actors; there is no public evidence that classified information was taken.

CISA and NCSC Joint Guidance on Securing OT Systems

🔒 CISA, the FBI, the UK NCSC, and international partners published joint guidance titled Creating and Maintaining a Definitive View of Your Operational Technology (OT) Architecture. The guidance explains how organizations can use data sources such as asset inventories and manufacturer-provided resources, including software bill of materials, to create and maintain an accurate OT record. It highlights benefits like improved risk assessment, prioritization of critical and exposed systems, and stronger architectural controls, and recommends cross-team collaboration and alignment with IEC 62443 and ISO/IEC 27001.

Foundations for OT Cybersecurity: Asset Inventory Guide

🔐 CISA and partners released Foundations for OT Cybersecurity: Asset Inventory Guidance for Owners and Operators to help operational technology (OT) owners build accurate, prioritized asset inventories. The guide—co-developed with federal, international, and industry experts—details practical steps to classify devices, map dependencies, and integrate inventories into risk and incident response workflows. It emphasizes continuous maintenance and alignment with NIST and IEC 62443.

CISA and Partners Issue OT Asset Inventory Guidance

🔒 CISA and international partners released new guidance to help operational technology (OT) owners and operators establish and maintain comprehensive asset inventories and taxonomies. The resource provides practical steps to identify, classify, and track OT devices and components that support critical infrastructure, including industrial control systems and automation. Implementing these practices aligns with the Cross-Sector Cybersecurity Performance Goals and enhances visibility, risk management, and operational resilience for mission-critical services.