Overcoming the Myths About 5G and OT Security

5G OT Security Summit Speakers on Delicate Balance Between Innovation, Cyber Risk Suparna Goswami (gsuparna) • July 16, 2025

The field of operational technology security is full of myths that persist throughout the industry. One widely held belief that OT systems are air-gapped and immune to cyberthreats. But digital transformation programs are adding potential attack vectors in unexpected places such as AI-enabled devices, digital twins and 5G-connected autonomous mobile robots.

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"We are fundamentally challenging the traditional air gap," said Suresh Venkat, head of IoT/OT, Asia Pacific, at Palo Alto Networks, speaking on the second day of the 5G OT Security Summit in Malaysia.

Digital transformation - which now includes a convergence of cloud-based applications, AI and OT systems - introduces new threat ...