Demand For Protection of OT Devices Grows: The Future of Industries Seeks Efficient and Secure Solutions

Palo Alto Networks Makes AI-Powered OT Security Easy to Adopt. The New Zero Trust OT Security Solution Protects Critical Infrastructure Without Additional Sensors

Operational technology (OT) plays a significant role in the digital evolution process of companies in the industrial and manufacturing sectors, monitoring and controlling physical processes, such as production control systems, process automation, temperature, pressure and motion sensors, and industrial robotics.

The use and connectivity of operational technology (OT) are rapidly growing, as is the number of cyberattacks in OT environments. These attacks can disrupt operations, causing damage that goes far beyond revenue and supply chain reputation, human safety, and critical infrastructure. OT devices can be difficult to protect because many lack built-in security and were not designed to be patched.

Additionally, high uptime requirements limit the ability to perform regular security maintenance. OT environments are also at risk as organizations adopt new technologies like 5G, which enable mass connectivity and open remote access.

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Technology and Zero Trust Security

Zero Trust technology is a network security strategy in which no user or device inside or outside an organization’s network is given access to connect to systems unless explicitly necessary.

According to the global research “What’s Next in Cyber” by Unit 42, the research arm of Palo Alto Networks, for 29% and 28% of IT leaders surveyed, the main benefit of a Zero Trust framework is better adjustments that ensure digital transformation initiatives and higher overall security levels. The research also revealed that among the challenges faced by respondents regarding the Zero Trust framework is the lack of qualified vendors with a complete and integrated solution, and the scarcity of tools for enterprise-wide deployment.

Industries such as manufacturing, energy, construction, agriculture, and supply chain are always in need of new solutions to keep pace with market changes, which is why Palo Alto Networks is introducing Zero Trust OT Security to better protect operational technology systems and devices. The new solution protects environments and industrial devices connected to 5G.

“Most OT security solutions on the market fall short because they cannot identify all assets and can only alert, but cannot prevent threats. This leads to a patchwork of isolated security technologies, which can result in security failures,” said Anand Oswal, senior vice president of network security at Palo Alto Networks. “Our OT Security solution is designed to help organizations stay secure through granular visibility and effective inline security, meeting availability and uptime requirements.”

The New Protection Tool from Palo Alto Networks

Cybersecurity issues are often managed one problem at a time, resulting in security teams trying to protect businesses with multiple isolated security technologies, which can lead to security breaches.

A key component of the solution is the new Industrial OT Security service provided in the cloud, which can be easily activated — without the need to install additional sensors — by any of the over 61,000 active customers of Palo Alto Networks’ network security products: next-generation hardware and software firewalls (NGFW) and Prisma SASE. Built with AI with ease of deployment in mind, the new solution allows customers to protect their OT environments from the most sophisticated threats, streamlining their operations.

Using the first OT visibility engine powered by ML in the industry, the Industrial OT Security service recognizes hundreds of unique OT device profiles, over 1,000 OT applications/Industrial Control Systems (ICS), and has hundreds of distinct OT threat signatures to help protect these assets. A notable feature of the service is its ability to help security teams proactively understand risks and apply controls. It continuously observes, categorizes, and visualizes asset behavior so that anomalies can be immediately discovered and addressed with firewall policy.

The Zero Trust OT Security solution protects multiple OT use cases with consistent Zero Trust policies, all centrally managed:

•  OT assets and networks using Palo Alto Networks NGFWs, along with the new Industrial OT Security service.
• Remote access using Prisma SASE.
• Devices connected to 5G using NGFWs with Palo Alto Networks 5G-Native Security.

“As industrial OT systems and IT systems become more interconnected, the attack surface available to adversaries also increases. Defending against increasingly sophisticated threats requires expanded security strategies that can provide visibility, context, and Zero Trust capabilities across OT and IT networks, devices, applications, and users,” said Dave Gruber, senior analyst at the Enterprise Strategy Group. “Palo Alto Networks’ solution embraces this unified security model, promising to help protect complex OT environments.”

“Manufacturing has come under the crosshairs of many recent cyberattacks. Palo Alto Networks’ industrial OT security is essential to ensuring that best security practices are in place,” said Jared Mendenhall, chief information security officer of Impossible Foods. “We are looking forward to Palo Alto Networks’ dedicated OT Security solution to further help us secure our factory, remote operations, and realize our broader Zero Trust vision.”

Availability

Palo Alto Networks’ Zero Trust OT Security solution and Industrial OT Security service will be available in March.

About Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks is a global cybersecurity leader. We innovate to stay ahead of cyber threats so organizations can adopt technology with confidence. We provide cutting-edge cybersecurity to thousands of customers around the world, across all industries. Our top-tier cybersecurity platforms and services are backed by industry-leading threat intelligence and strengthened by next-generation automation. 

Whether deploying our products to enable Zero Trust Enterprise, responding to a security incident, or partnering to deliver better security outcomes through a world-class partner ecosystem, we are committed to ensuring that each day is safer than the last. It’s what makes us the preferred cybersecurity partner. At Palo Alto Networks, we are dedicated to bringing together the best people to serve our mission, which is why we are also proud to be the preferred cybersecurity workplace, recognized among Newsweek’s Most Loved Workplaces (2022), Comparably Best Companies for Diversity (2021), and HRC Best Places for LGBTQ Equality (2022). For more information, visit www.paloaltonetworks.com.