Bitsight Identifies Nearly 100,000 Industrial Control Systems Exposed to the Public Internet

The exposed organizations span 96 countries and include several Fortune 1000 organizations. Additionally, the sectors with the highest concentration of exposed ICSs include education, technology, government and politics, and business services. While Bitsight observed a steady decline in the number of internet-facing ICSs from 2019 to 2023, there remains a significant risk to organizations, their partners, and their constituents.

"Industrial control systems play a critical role in helping organizations avoid societal disruptions and the exposure of these devices is a serious matter," said Bitsight Chief Risk Officer Derek Vadala. "This research shows that while the number of exposed ICSs is trending downwards, the overall threat level remains too high. An attack on just one ICS device would be a potentially catastrophic event that could have far-reaching consequences."

Given the impact of a potential attack on an exposed ICS, Bitsight urges organizations to immediately engage in the following remediation efforts:

It's also critical that manufacturers of industrial control systems and other operational technology take action to increase the cybersecurity of the devices they create. Bitsight recommends manufacturers:

For more information, the full study can be viewed here.

About Bitsight
Bitsight is a global cyber risk management leader transforming how organizations manage exposure, performance, and risk for themselves and their third parties. Companies rely on Bitsight to prioritize their cybersecurity investments, build greater trust within their ecosystem, and reduce their chances of financial loss. Built on over a decade of market-leading innovation, its integrated solutions deliver value across enterprise security performance, digital supply chains, cyber insurance and data analysis.

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