Press Release
☷NSA CISA How Cyber Actors Compromise OT ICS and How to Defend Against It
National Security Agency ( By Press Release office)
Sep 22,2022
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The National Security Agency ( NSA ) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency ( CISA ) published a Cybersecurity Advisory today that highlights the steps malicious actors have commonly followed to compromise operational technology ( OT ) /industrial control system ( ICS ) assets and provides recommendations on how to defend against them . “Control System Defense: Know the Opponent” notes the increasing threats to OT and ICS assets that operate , control , and monitor day - to - day critical infrastructure and industrial processes . OT/ICS designs are publicly available , as are a wealth of tools to exploit IT and OT systems . Cyber actors , including advanced persistent threat ( APT ) groups , have targeted OT/ICS systems in recent years to achieve political gains , economic advantages , and possibly to execute destructive effects . Recently , they’ve developed tools for scanning , compromising , and controlling targeted OT devices . “Owners and operators of these systems need to fully understand the threats coming from state - sponsored actors and cybercriminals to best defend against them , ” said Michael Dransfield , NSA Control Systems Defense Expert . “We’re exposing the malicious actors’ playbook so that we can harden our systems and prevent their next attempt . ” This joint Cybersecurity Advisory builds on previous NSA and CISA guidance to stop malicious ICS activity and reduce OT exposure . Noting that traditional approaches to securing OT/ICS do not adequately address threats to these systems , NSA and CISA examine the tactics , techniques , and procedures cyber actors employ so that owners and operators can prioritize hardening actions for OT/ICS . Defenders should employ the mitigations listed in this advisory to limit unauthorized access , lock down tools and data flows , and deny malicious actors from achieving their desired effects . Read the full advisory here . Visit our full library for more cybersecurity information and technical guidance . NSA Media RelationsMediaRelations@nsa . gov443 - 634 - 0721

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