Page 28 - Cyber Defense eMagazine April 2023

OT Zero Trust

The Last Frontier to Protect OT Environments

By Terence Liu, CEO of TXOne Networks

OT Zero Trust – a Device-Centric Methodology

In the IT world, the heart of Zero Trust is continuous verification, ensuring that every point of entry
between connected services is from an authorized identity, at the proper time, from the expected source,
through registered devices. This is a very human-centric and contextual process. Due to a high level of
interaction between people through various services, any compromised personnel can pose threats to
the entire organization.

In the OT world, devices and equipment are seldom bound to specific personnel. Despite its similarities
in damage propagation to the IT world, OT countermeasures are totally different. Here at TXOne
Networks, we advocate OT Zero Trust methodology, which is also a process of continuous verification.
However, it is a device-centric, rather than people-centric, approach that covers all stages in the asset
lifecycle. Every piece of equipment should be inspected before being sent to the production line, and all
equipment should be continuously monitored and protected while in the process of manufacturing. IT
people can easily sacrifice a portion of service availability for a boost in security during a given period.

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