Operational tech is ‘underprioritized’ in cyberdefense, experts tell Congress

Witnesses' calls for better investment in securing such systems come just two months before a key cybersecurity information-sharing law is set to expire.

U.S. critical infrastructure is in for a reckoning if digital defenders don’t begin prioritizing the cybersecurity of operational technology systems that allow critical services like dams, electric grids and trains to safely function, witnesses told a House panel on Tuesday.

Operational technology controls the physical equipment of infrastructure, including pipes, switches, tracks and gates. Those differ from information technology systems, which manage data and communications and are frequently internet-connected. But OT and IT systems often cross paths, opening up vulnerable networks to intrusions and physical sabotage.

For years, IT systems have taken much of the priority of network defenders, witnesses said during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing focused on lessons learned from the 15th anniversary of the Stuxnet computer worm’s discovery.

“Despite the ...