The number of industrial control systems (ICS) connected to the internet has increased year on year – meaning more and more infrastructure is sitting on the ‘net potentially open to attack.
Of the 175,632 internet-accessible ICS equipment detected, approximately 42 per cent were in the US, marking a 10 per cent increase over the previous year (from 50,795 to 64,287). In Germany, which ranks second, researchers found ICS gear behind 13,242 public-accessible IP addresses, up from 12,542 in 2016. The UK ranks sixth. Paul Edon, Technical Director (EMEA) at Tripwire commented below.
Paul Edon, Technical Director (EMEA) at Tripwire:
“The expansion of connected systems and technology in the ICS space naturally comes with risk. This is why security within critical infrastructure must be addressed at the highest level. Thankfully, as new vulnerabilities and issues arise, there is an abundance of defence mechanisms and technologies to choose from. If industrial organisations are to avoid being hit by a cyber attack, implementing a security hygiene strategy that incorporates educating the workforce alongside investing in the right technology needs to be in place.”
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