An opinion piece by Frédéric Breussin, founder and CEO of AIoTrust, focusing on the new challenges in OT cybersecurity, is available on Global Security Mag.
In this presentation, Frédéric addresses several major cybersecurity challenges in industrial environments:
- Why are the most critical cyberattacks often the ones that go undetected by tampering with the data reported by industrial systems?;
- the limitations of traditional OT architectures, in which PLCs filter data before it is processed by monitoring tools;
- the need to monitor raw electrical signals in order to obtain an accurate picture of the actual condition of the equipment;
- how this approach helps strengthen industrial resilience through earlier detection of anomalies and cyberattacks.
Excerpt:
“Cybersecurity is now an unavoidable issue, both in industry and everywhere else. But the debate too often remains focused on IT. We protect networks and servers, but we overlook what’s happening closer to production, at the OT (Operational Technology) level—that is, industrial equipment.”
And that is a strategic mistake. Between 2021 and 2023, the average number of industrial attacks reported each month rose from 31 to 73—a 53% increase over two years, according to CSO Online.
“Hackers target the essentials: equipment, automation systems, and production lines. And if the attack doesn’t cause a production shutdown but rather a gradual drift, it goes unnoticed.”
