Microsoft: Cyber risks to critical infrastructure on the rise

(BPT) – Today, Microsoft Corp. released the third edition of Cyber Signals, a quarterly cyberthreat intelligence brief informed by the latest Microsoft threat data and research. This edition offers an expert perspective into the current threat landscape across IT, Internet of Things (IoT), and Operational Technology (OT).As OT systems underpinning energy, transportation, and other infrastructures become increasingly connected to IT systems and IoT devices, the risk of disruption and damage grows as boundaries blur between these formerly separated technologies. Microsoft has identified unpatched, high-severity vulnerabilities in 75 percent of the most common industrial controllers in customer OT networks.“Almost every attack we’ve seen in the last year started from initial access to an IT network that was leveraged into the OT environment. Critical infrastructure security is a worldwide challenge and difficult to tackle. We must be innovative in creating tools and conducting research to learn more about these types of attacks,” explained David Atch, Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence Head of IoT/OT Security Research.You can read the full report here. For a deeper dive into IT, OT, and IoT threats you can also view the Cyber Signals digital briefing and explore the latest cybersecurity insights and updates at Security Insider.Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.For more information, press only: Microsoft Media Relations, WE Communications, (425) 638-7777, rapidresponse@we-worldwide.comNote to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://news.microsoft.com. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at https://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-public-relations-contacts.