CISA, Allies Sound Alarm on OT Network Exposure

Joint US, UK and Five Eyes Guidance Flags OT Exposure as National Risk Chris Riotta (@chrisriotta) • January 15, 2026

U.S. and allied cyber agencies warned Wednesday in guidance aimed at locking down operational technology systems that insecure connectivity remains one of the fastest and most reliable ways for cyberthreat actors to disrupt industrial environments.

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The FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency published the guidance alongside the U.K. National Cyber Security Centre and cyber authorities across the Five Eyes and Europe, laying out eight “secure connectivity principles” designed to reduce the attack surface created as OT environments become more connected for remote access, monitoring and data analytics.

Operational technology networks - which have historically remained isolated and engineered for safety and uptime - have increasingly become exposed in recent years as organizations connect legacy systems to ...