In conversation with Dr. Terence Liu, CEO at TXOne Networks as he shares insights on trends and vulnerabilities in OT Security, implications for critical industries, challenges and guidance on securing critical operations
What trends are you seeing currently in the OT security industry?
Rise in Ransomware and Sophisticated Attacks: Ransomware continues to be a dominant threat, with attackers increasingly targeting OT environments. The methods employed are becoming more sophisticated, including the use of AI to enhance attack strategies and malware development
Holistic Security Approaches: Organizations are recognizing the need to integrate IT and OT security strategies. This holistic approach emphasizes collaboration between IT and OT teams, enabling better risk management and vulnerability assessments across the entire organization.
Supply Chain Risks and Complexity: The interconnected nature of modern supply chains is introducing additional vulnerabilities. In this highly collaborated tech world, supply chain security, product security, and OT security are highly overlapped with each other.
The Rise of AI: AI-powered technologies and automation are becoming integral to the security sector, enhancing both offensive and defensive operations. At TXOne Networks, we have already implemented AI-driven features to streamline deployment and improve detection rates. I believe AI will soon unlock even more possibilities, such as utilizing generative AI for guided security operations.
Tell us about the growing vulnerabilities in OT infrastructure and their implications for critical industries?
Vulnerabilities are increasingly affecting both IT and OT environments. However, in OT, addressing these issues is becoming more challenging. Many OT systems depend on aging, legacy technologies that were never intended to be integrated with modern IT networks. As a result, they often lack essential security features like encryption, authentication, and secure communication protocols, leaving them highly exposed to cyberattacks.
Patching these systems is particularly difficult due to operational constraints, as they are critical to continuous operations where downtime is not an option. Additionally, long-lived OT assets frequently lose support prematurely, leaving them unprotected by both operating system and security vendors. This creates a significant security gap for organizations.
Conversely, targeted cybersecurity attacks in OT environments are becoming an increasingly serious concern, fueled by geopolitical tensions and financial motivations. These factors make it harder for traditional security tools to detect threats in time, pushing organizations to adopt more advanced detection and response measures. The CPSDR (Cyber-Physical Systems Detection & Response) capabilities integrated into TXOne products are specifically designed to combat such attacks, shifting protection from reactive defense to proactive prevention.
What industries are more at risk or vulnerable and how can they solve this challenge?
The manufacturing, energy, automotive, and pharmaceutical sectors are at greater risk when it comes to vulnerabilities in OT infrastructure. In OT, nothing is more important than the operation itself, and cybersecurity companies must develop solutions that seamlessly integrate into daily routines. At TXOne, we provide layered solutions as a framework to protect assets from multiple angles, including security inspection, endpoint protection, and network defense. We also offer a threat intelligence platform that consolidates data from all these areas, providing a comprehensive view of cybersecurity elements. Adopting these solutions can help sectors combat the vulnerabilities in OT.
Critical industries also need to implement a robust suite of products that secure OT assets throughout their entire life cycle. TXOne Networks’ Element product line provides comprehensive security inspections for newly integrated or maintained assets. The Stellar product line delivers industrial-grade endpoint protection during active operations, while the Edge product line adds a crucial layer of network protection. All product insights are centralized within SageOne, our CPS protection platform, offering a holistic view and enabling effective security management across all stages of operation.
Can you highlight risks associated with IoT systems in an increasingly connected world?
Let me narrow down your question to IIoT since we’re 100% focused on OT security. IIoT presents both significant opportunities and various risks that organizations must manage. Cybersecurity vulnerabilities are a primary concern, as increased connectivity expands the attack surface for cybercriminals, leading to potential data breaches and operational disruptions. Additionally, interoperability issues between devices and supply chain vulnerabilities can complicate integration, making systems more susceptible to failures and attacks on third-party partners.
Most IIoT devices are unable to support additional endpoint security solutions due to their technical limitations. Therefore, one of the few reliable measures to protect IIoT systems within an organization is through robust networking security solutions. By implementing well-planned network segmentation and connecting IIoT devices to a secure network, backed by network intrusion prevention systems (IPS) or firewalls, organizations can significantly reduce security risks. Furthermore, clearly defined security policies can help mitigate human operational errors.
How is TXOne solving these challenges for customers and securing critical operations?
To mitigate these risks, TXOne Networks offers OT-native all-terrain cybersecurity solutions that ensure the reliability and safety of ICS environments through the OT Zero Trust methodology. We provide both network- and endpoint-based solutions that seamlessly integrate with the layered configurations and diverse assets typically found at work sites, delivering real-time, defense-in-depth cybersecurity for mission-critical devices and the OT network.
We are also at the forefront of adopting advanced and AI-driven solutions that ensure the seamless operation of industrial systems and effectively address cybersecurity challenges. In Stellar and Edge, we adopt AI technologies to create AI-curated automatic security policies that dramatically reduce the security configuration time. In SageOne, we leverage these AI-generated insights to visualize the security posture. These implementations not only save time but also provide reliable results for our users.
