Cybersecurity Threats Posed by USB to Industrial OT Has Doubled, Finds Honeywell's USB Threat Report

In a report released today by Honeywell (NYSE: HON) based on cybersecurity threat data collected from hundreds of industrial facilities globally, the severity of threats detected to operational technology (OT) systems has risen by significant amounts over a 12-month period. The findings from the latest Honeywell Industrial USB Threat Report show that the total amount of threats posed by USB removable media to industrial process control networks remains consistently high, with 45% of locations detecting at least one inbound threat. Over the same time period, the number of threats specifically targeting OT systems nearly doubled from 16 to 28%, while the number of threats capable of causing a loss of view or other major disruption to OT systems more than doubled, from 26 to 59%. The report shows that 1 in 5 of all threats was designed specifically to leverage USB removable media as an attack vector, and more than half the threats were designed to open backdoors, establish persistent remote access or download additional malicious payloads. These findings are indicative of more coordinated attacks, likely attempting to target air-gapped systems used in most industrial control environments and critical infrastructure.