The Global State of CPS Security 2024: Business Impact of Disruptions

Claroty presents the results of an independent global survey of 1,100 cybersecurity professionals who are tasked with securing cyber-physical systems (CPS)—including operational technology (OT), Internet of Things (IoT), connected medical devices (IoMT), and building management systems (BMS)—that are at the core of critical infrastructure sectors worldwide. The survey sought to understand from cybersecurity leaders their experiences combating cyberattacks affecting CPS, particularly focusing on the financial impact and business disruptions resulting from incidents.

Cybersecurity leaders understand full well the ramifications of cybercrime and advanced attacks against the cyber-physical systems (CPS) that underpin industrial and healthcare computing infrastructures. Cyberattacks, whether state-sponsored or carried out by for-profit criminals, have increasingly targeted operational technology (OT), Internet of Things (IoT), connected medical devices (IoMT), and building management systems (BMS). These incidents have caused process disruptions, service delivery delays, data loss and data manipulation, and other negative outcomes that can affect anything from patient care and public safety, to national and economic security.

Meanwhile, CISOs in critical infrastructure sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, energy, oil and gas, and others often find themselves trapped in a hamster wheel of pressures applied by threat actors and business leaders as they try to manage risk and mitigate threats. As they commiserate with the C-suite and boards of directors, security leaders must articulate threats in the context of risks to the business – i.e., how much they cost.

To counter that dynamic and hopefully ease those pressures, this survey report seeks to quantify the cybersecurity and operational impact of disruptive attacks to these critical systems, and provide context that cybersecurity leaders can leverage to strategize adequate protection for CPS.