Joint guidance on secure connectivity for operational technology

NCSC-UK, together with government agencies from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and the Netherlands, has published guidance on secure connectivity principles for operational technology. The guide offers practical steps for designing, securing and managing connectivity in OT environments, organised into eight principles.

What this means for your organisation

Organisations in energy, water, industry and transport have in practice eroded the IT/OT boundary through remote access, cloud services and supplier connections. Joint guidance from seven national authorities provides a reference point that internal audit and the board can both work from, and shifts the discussion towards principles rather than individual products.

Berigo recommends

• Assess the eight principles against how connectivity is actually implemented in your OT environments.
• Build an inventory of all external connections, including supplier remote access.
• Use the guidance as shared language between operations and the security function.
• Escalate gaps that cannot be closed quickly as documented risk decisions.

Source

• ncsc.gov.uk