When we harden one ICS layer, attackers simply shift over to other tactics and targets, and embedded devices like sensors will be a key target in the next shift.
2022 has delivered abundant new evidence that industrial control systems are in the cross hairs of cyber attackers. Researchers investigating Indestroyer2 and Pipedream/Incontroller have confirmed that both attack toolsets were designed to be launched from the control room and travel down to PLCs and other embedded devices, with the potential to disrupt or harm the physical process through various methods.
These attacks demonstrate the ongoing need to secure the networks and protocols that integrate the industrial control system (ICS) layers, a task which will take years but is underway.
However, there are new threats emerging simultaneously. Persistent on-device intrusions likely will be instrumental in long-term cyber breaches, as they provide attackers with the ability to modify embedded device behavior without being detected by engineering tools and most intrusion detection systems once they’re resident on the device.
So, while we’ve seen progress, systems still require extensive additional…
