Putting it all together
It’s clear that threat actors now have a wide attack surface and, most likely, the time and motivation needed to study and fully prepare their attacks, as we have seen from previous incidents. The reality is that the majority of ICS environments are still operating with vulnerable installations – but this does not necessarily affect the risk profile of these systems since other safeguards are in place to mitigate cyber threats.
In the meantime, we all agree that if an attacker is able to gain access to these safety systems, they can modify the safety parameters and processes of the system, meaning the system may not be able to detect a dangerous hazardous condition and take corrective action, resulting in a disaster.
As we still have not witnessed such scenarios, this is a strong indication that the layered approach and mechanical protections deployed by the wider industry are still working.
Important note
Due to the confidential nature...