Kaspersky report warns of rising cyber risks in digitalisation

Kaspersky and VDC Research have published new findings on the state of cybersecurity in Operational Technology (OT) environments, highlighting challenges faced by industrial organisations during digital transformation.

The report, titled "Securing OT with Purpose-built Solutions," draws on long-term research and a survey of over 250 OT and IT decision-makers from sectors including energy, utilities, transportation, logistics, and manufacturing. It explores the business and technical trends that influence OT cybersecurity, as well as the best practices being developed to address these issues.

The study reveals that almost two fifths (39.3%) of global industrial enterprises identify cybersecurity as a key challenge in the digitalisation of OT environments. In the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, the figure rises to 45%, coinciding with a somewhat higher degree of digitalisation among local OT organisations.

Levels of digitalisation vary significantly across industries. According to the research, just over 31% of industrial companies continue to rely on manual processes or are only beginning to introduce digital technologies for some tasks. Almost 23% have integrated certain connected digital technologies. Despite this diversity, 63.6% of respondents said they intend to achieve the 'fully digital' stage of their transformation - marked by continuously improving digital capabilities - within two years.

APAC OT organisations appear slightly ahead, with just 22% still in traditional or early digitalisation stages. The majority are either operating with several connected digital technologies (36%) or report full digital integration (33%), while 9% have reached digital maturity. However, concerns around cybersecurity are also higher in the region.

Cybersecurity risks such as inadequate protection measures and limited resources allocated to OT security present significant barriers to the digital transformation process. Globally, 46.6% of respondents cited inadequate security measures in their existing infrastructure, and the same proportion pointed to insufficient budgets or personnel focused on OT cybersecurity. Regulatory compliance challenges were acknowledged by 42.7%, while 41.7% highlighted the complexities of IT/OT integration as a key issue.

In APAC, gaps in security capabilities were mentioned by 68% of respondents, lack of adequate personnel or budgets by 56%, and difficulties with regulatory compliance by 35%. These figures demonstrate the ongoing struggle to match cybersecurity infrastructure with increasing digitalisation demands.

Adrian Hia, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky, commented on the regional findings: "While industrial companies in APAC are slightly ahead when it comes to digitalisation, our survey showed that almost one in every two companies still has outdated protocols and legacy systems and is trying to solve the complexities of internal IT and OT integration."

"With connected manufacturing in APAC predicted to balloon to an USD $80 billion industry in 2029, it is critical for OT customers to partner with cybersecurity provider which has the intelligence about the latest threats in the industrial sector and products and services which can provide holistic defenses against critical attacks."

The report underscores how ongoing digitalisation raises new cyber risks that can compromise data and systems, threatening the value organisations expect from adopting digital technologies. This creates a need for strong cybersecurity practices to foster trust and successful implementation of digital strategies.

Andrey Strelkov, Head of Industrial Cybersecurity Product Line at Kaspersky, remarked on the broader implications: "As connectivity and reliance on digital technologies continues to grow, the potential for cyber threats rises as well. It is crucial for industrial organisations to adopt robust cybersecurity solutions to ensure that while they implement new OT systems and enhance their overall efficiency, they simultaneously mitigate potential cyber risks that could result in significant disruptions and financial losses."

Kaspersky's offering for OT clients includes an ecosystem that integrates OT-specific technologies, industry knowledge, and expertise. Its Kaspersky Industrial Cybersecurity (KICS) platform acts as a central component, providing asset inventory, risk management, auditing, and unified security scalability across distributed infrastructures.

The publication of these findings comes as more organisations in the industrial sector plan their transition toward increased digital maturity and look to address the cybersecurity and integration complexities that accompany this shift.