Adapting Zero Trust Principles to Operational Technology


Zero trust (ZT) offers a modern, adaptive approach to cybersecurity by eliminating implicit trust and continuously validating access based on identity, context, and risk. ZT principles assume a breach has already occurred and are designed to limit threat actor movement and potential damage.

For operational technology (OT), applying ZT requires careful consideration because OT systems interact with the physical environment and are constrained by availability and safety requirements, as well as legacy technology with long lifespans. The blanket application of traditional information technology (IT)-focused ZT capabilities to OT is neither reasonable nor feasible and requires continuous collaboration between OT engineers, IT architects, and cybersecurity professionals. This collaboration should include clear communication channels, joint development of policies and controls, and a shared understanding of both mission objectives and technical limitations.

Read more…
Source: U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation Cyber Division


Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • Apple’s new iOS setting addresses a hidden layer of location tracking

    February 3, 2026

    Most iPhone owners have hopefully learned to manage app permissions by now, including allowing location access. But there’s another layer of location tracking that operates outside these controls. Your cellular carrier has been collecting your location data all along, and until now, there was nothing you could do about it. Apple just changed this in iOS ...

  • Ivanti patched two critical zero-day vulnerabilities in EPMM

    January 30, 2026

    Ivanti has patched two critical zero-day vulnerabilities in its Endpoint Manager Mobile (EPMM) product that are already being exploited, continuing a grim run of January security incidents for enterprise IT vendors. In January 2025, tens of thousands were urged to patch a Fortinet zero-day, while Ivanti customers were doing the same. There has been little change ...

  • Microsoft Office zero-day lets malicious documents slip past security checks

    January 29, 2026

    Microsoft issued an emergency patch for a high-severity zero-day vulnerability in Office that allows attackers to bypass document security checks and is being exploited in the wild via malicious files. Microsoft pushed the emergency patch for the zero‑day, tracked as CVE-2026-21509, and classified it as a “Microsoft Office Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability” with a CVSS score ...

  • CISA: Fortinet Releases Guidance to Address Ongoing Exploitation of Authentication Bypass Vulnerability CVE-2026-24858

    January 28, 2026

    Newly disclosed vulnerability Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE)-2026-24858 allows malicious actors with a FortiCloud account and a registered device to log in to separate devices registered to other users in FortiOS, FortiManager, FortiWeb, FortiProxy, and FortiAnalyzer, if FortiCloud single sign on (SSO) is ...

  • No Agency Is Too Small

    January 28, 2026

    Back when nation-state threat actors were primarily targeting large government agencies, government contractors, and large companies, security through obscurity was a legitimate strategy. In years past, betting that attackers wouldn’t bother with smaller targets was a feasible way of operating. It’s feasible no longer. Hackers are better equipped than ever before, thanks in part to artificial ...

  • Fortinet admits FortiGate SSO bug still exploitable despite December patch

    January 23, 2026

    Fortinet has confirmed that attackers are actively bypassing a December patch for a critical FortiCloud single sign-on (SSO) authentication flaw after customers reported suspicious logins on devices supposedly fully up to date. In a new advisory, Fortinet said it had identified a fresh attack path being used to abuse SAML-based SSO in FortiOS, even on systems ...