Booz Allen Hamilton : A Holistic Solution for OT Threat Detection and Response

As operational technology (OT) and industrial control system (ICS) industries move to leaner staffing models and more automated processes, the availability of rich data from plants has enticed many organizations to connect these previously air-gapped systems to the enterprise and beyond. While greater interconnectivity has brought benefits in terms of business and operations, it has also elevated concerns about cyber threats.

With the rise of cyber attacks causing business disruptions, IT security has been asked to expand their oversight and help bridge the visibility gap between enterprise and ICS/OT environments. While the general objective is to secure the organization as a whole, the approach to secure each environment must vary due to each mission.

With ICS/OT environments designed to maintain the highest safety, uptime, and productivity, a tailored approach to deploying cyber defense strategies is required to properly protect these environments without causing disruptions. And whether insourcing or outsourcing the response capability, there's no one tool that can provide the level of visibility needed to detect threats. Therefore, a comprehensive threat detection program needs to be established.

Our approach reflects the best practices we've gained through our experience helping global enterprises stand up and manage ICS/OT threat detection and response programs. The goal of these programs is primarily to reduce cyber risk to the organization by detecting a potential cyber attack early and mitigating it before it impacts operations.