Major attacks on industrial systems are on the rise, yet security efforts to protect these systems continue to lag behind. Credit: Metamorworks / Getty Images A report commissioned by cloud security company Barracuda found that 94% of respondents have experienced some form of attack on their industrial IoT (IIoT) or operational technology (OT) systems during the last 12 months.The State of Industrial Security in 2022 report surveyed 800 senior IT and security officers responsible for these industrial systems.“In the current threat landscape, critical infrastructure is an attractive target for cybercriminals, but unfortunately IIoT/OT security projects often take a backseat to other security initiatives or fail due to cost or complexity, leaving organizations at risk,” said Tim Jefferson, senior vice president for data protection, network, and application security at Barracuda said in a statement accompanying the report.Geopolitical tension on the riseRecent attacks such as those targeted through the SolarWinds attack, and the Russian DDoS attack on Lithuania last month, have raised concerns over nation state-backed attacks on industrial systems. As a result, the survey found that 89% of the respondents are very or fairly concerned about the current geopolitical situation. Constellation Research analyst Liz Miller acknowledged that “the Russian invasion of Ukraine set the world on high alert as it anticipated vulnerabilities in IIoT devices becoming prime targets should the battle enter the cyberspace.”Manufacturing and healthcare industries lag behindThe report noted that 93% of respondents admitted that their organization had failed in their IIoT/OT security projects, with a lack of skills and tools often blamed. Furthermore, only 18% of companies surveyed restrict network access and enforce multifactor authentication (MFA), leaving networks open to attacks. Around half of respondents believe that their organization can handle applying security updates themselves, leaving many needing external help. The report notes that the worst hit organizations tend to be those that rely on manual updates and don’t have access to automation tools. Manufacturing and healthcare were identified as the least prepared industries, with only 24% and 17% respectively able to complete their security projects.“Healthcare has been put through the wringer these past two years with the global pandemic making medical infrastructure and critical systems ripe targets for attackers,” Miller said. “Most healthcare CISOs and CIOs I speak with are exhausted and are pushing through with budgets that seem large but aren’t what they need to accelerate projects and are facing skills shortages to maintain networks, let alone advance projects.” Related content news Almost 50% of organizations plan to reduce cybersecurity headcounts: Survey While organizations are realizing the need for knowledgeable teams to address unknown threats, they are also looking to reduce their security headcount and infrastructure spending. By Gagandeep Kaur Dec 06, 2023 4 mins IT Jobs Security Practices feature 20 years of Patch Tuesday: it’s time to look outside the Windows when fixing vulnerabilities After two decades of regular and indispensable updates, it’s clear that security teams need take a more holistic approach to applying fixes far beyond the Microsoft ecosystem. By Susan Bradley Dec 06, 2023 6 mins Patch Management Software Threat and Vulnerability Management Windows Security feature What should be in a company-wide policy on low-code/no-code development Low-code/no-code development could bridge the gulf of development backlogs that exists between great ideas and great execution of digital innovation. But not without security policies around areas like access control, code quality, and application vi By Ericka Chickowski Dec 06, 2023 15 mins Application Security Security Practices news analysis Cisco unveils AI-powered assistants to level up security defenses New AI-driven tools aim to simplify and bolster policies, alerts and prevention to reduce complexity when setting security policies and assess traffic without decryption. By Rosalyn Page Dec 05, 2023 5 mins Encryption Cloud Security Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe