Cyber Blind Spots: The hidden technology that poses the greatest security risk

Operational Technology (OT) — the systems controlling physical processes in critical national infrastructure like power, water, and transport — represents a growing and underappreciated cybersecurity risk. Originally built for isolation and physical security, these systems are now networked and remotely accessible, yet lack proper asset inventories, network documentation, and resilience planning. Geopolitically-motivated threat actors increasingly target OT to cause societal disruption or conduct long-term surveillance. Key gaps include poor asset visibility, weak IT/OT segmentation, shared identity systems, and inadequate recovery planning. Recommended steps include building and maintaining accurate OT asset inventories, reviewing identity controls, stress-testing resilience plans, and implementing OT-layer monitoring.