Critical infrastructure security is essential to protecting countries against natural disasters, terrorist activities, and harmful cyber threats. From energy institutions to transportation companies, all sectors of critical infrastructure require the highest standard and disaster preparedness, including chemical, financial and healthcare sectors.
Common components of critical infrastructure include Industrial Control Systems (ICS), Operation Technology (OT), and SCADA Systems, all of which require preventative cybersecurity preparedness. In today’s connected environments, digital and physical systems are converging and systems that once stood alone managing critical infrastructure operations are now connected, bringing with it a whole sleuth of new security concerns. Having a Critical Infrastructure Protection plan in place can help organizations prepare for and prevent serious incidents involving critical infrastructure environments.
To protect against an ever-growing number of threats, security experts must re-examine the integrity of critical infrastructure systems regularly, ensuring they hold up against unique threats and attacks. While system or network security almost always incites thoughts of hacker or terrorist threats, many other exposures that should also be taken into consideration when examining the viability of a CIP plans, such as equipment failure, human error and natural causes. While preventing attacks takes a combination of knowledge, technology and skill, it also requires a security-aware culture.