Page 26 - Cyber Defense eMagazine January 2024
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Closing the Gap: Safeguarding Critical


            Infrastructure’s IT and OT Environments


            By Victor Atkins, Director | Cybersecurity,  1898 & Co.



            The rise in the age of digitalization  has provided numerous benefits for modern society, from the ability
            to conduct  a telehealth  doctor’s  meeting  from the  comfort  of home  to greater  access  to education  for
            rural, isolated communities.  Those who work in the critical infrastructure industry aren’t strangers to the
            benefits — but also the downsides — of a more digitally connected world.

            With an increase  in streamlined,  automated  controls  and the capability  to work  from remote locations,
            critical  infrastructure  decision-makers  now  have  a  greater  ability  to  provide  reliable  services  for  the
            communities  they  serve.  However,  expanded  access  to  critical  infrastructure  systems  has  led  to
            information  technology  (IT)  and  operational  technology  (OT)  systems  becoming  more  vulnerable  and
            susceptible to cybersecurity threats through a variety of attack vectors. These attack vectors can include
            any data communication  pathways that hackers can exploit to illegally enter a network or system.

            With  critical  infrastructure  operations  continuing  to  push  toward  more  digitized  solutions,  IT  and  OT
            systems  have  become  more  integrated  and  dependent  on  each  other.  The  increased  connectivity
            between  these  two  traditionally  separated  systems  provides  the  opportunity  for  adversaries  to  gain
            access to either the IT or OT system, which if left unchecked by cybersecurity measures, can result in a
            major impact to the integrated environment. Quality of life and the stability that comes from knowing the






            Cyber Defense eMagazine – January 2024 Edition                                                                                                                                                                                                          26
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