Industrial control systems (ICS) can be likened to your car’s engine. It powers your car from behind the scenes, quietly—maybe not very quietly sometimes—and efficiently In the event that you miss out on maintenance routines, ignore warning signs, or leave the doors unlocked overnight, you are slowly moving towards a breakdown or, worse, a hijacking.
It works the same way with ICS networks. They are the quiet and powerful source behind critical national infrastructures such as power grids, telecommunications, healthcare, etc. Yet, organisations often leave these networks vulnerable by making avoidable mistakes that could count as almost negligible.
In this piece, we’ll unpack the common missteps that can compromise ICS security and show you how to possibly steer clear of them before they lead to major disruptions of your critical infrastructure or digital assets.
1. Lack of network segmentation.
This is a negligible mistake that many organisations make by connecting ICS setups directly to corporate IT networks. That is, the ICS setups are connected to the general organisation networks, allowing risks to spread from one compromised device on the network to the entire operational infrastructure.
The best thing to do while setting up ICS is to make use of DMZs, firewalls, DMZs, and VLANs to segregate control networks from business networks. In addition to that, enforcing strict access controls and only permitting required data transfers between zones would go a long way to alleviate the mistake.
2. Applying Default or Weak Credentials
To set up an ICS network, the need to purchase devices from third-party vendors will arise. After the purchase, too many ICS devices continue to use factory defaults or weak passwords, making the devices vulnerable to brute-force assaults and credential stuffing.
To avoid the aftermath of this mistake, it is advisable to immediately update all default credentials on devices. Make use of strong, unique passwords and use multi-factor authentication (MFA) to enforce defence-in-depth.
3. Delaying Patches and Updates.
To prevent the system downtime that comes while updating or patching, some organisations prefer to postpone releasing security fixes, even when vulnerabilities are well known and regularly exploited.
Maintaining uptime is a valid concern but it is advisable to implement a proper patch management program. Also, to minimise interruption, test updates in a secure environment before deploying them during regular maintenance windows.
4. Insufficient monitoring and logging.
Threats can go undetected for long periods of time when organisations do not have real-time insight into their ICS networks. Without constant monitoring, harmful activity can blend in with routine operations, allowing attackers to move laterally, exfiltrate data, or interrupt processes undetected. In extremely sensitive ICS situations where uptime and safety are critical, late identification might be the difference between a limited threat and a full-fledged operational crisis.
It is advisable to make use of IDS and SIEM products to keep, check, and monitor a log of events on a regular basis and investigate alerts as soon as possible.
5. Insufficient security awareness training.
Human error still remains a significant concern of security. Many ICS operators and engineers do not receive proper cybersecurity training, making them more prone to unintentionally prop these systems open to vulnerabilities.
It is necessary to provide frequent cybersecurity training customised to ICS environments for the operators. These should include simulated phishing exercises, USB safety training, and realistic attack scenarios.
6. Inadequate policies and procedures
Many organisations that have ICS networks either have no explicit cybersecurity policies or have outdated ones that do not represent the realities of modern ICS risks. Even well-intentioned teams may engage in inconsistent or unsafe behaviour in the absence of clear guidelines.
It is advisable to develop clear cybersecurity policies that outline roles, responsibilities, acceptable use, incident response, access management, and update procedures. It is then important to review and revise them regularly to keep up with technological changes.
The Bottom Line
ICS networks are not just part of the organization’s network, they are responsible for keeping things running, just like your car’s engine allows it to keep running. Overlooking these common mistakes can have serious operational, financial, and reputational consequences.
TechInnovate Cyber recognises the vital nature of ICS environments. Our personalised cybersecurity evaluations, compliance solutions, and incident response methods assist organisations across industries in securing their control systems against evolving threats.
