Security News > 2021 > May > NSA Issues Guidance on Securing IT-OT Connectivity
The U.S. National Security Agency last week released a cybersecurity advisory focusing on the security of operational technology systems, particularly in terms of connectivity to IT systems.
The advisory shares recommendations for evaluating risks and improving the securing of connections between IT systems - these can often serve as an entry point into industrial networks - and OT systems.
"To prevent dangerous results from OT exploitation, OT operators and IT system administrators should ensure only the most imperative IT-OT connections are allowed, and that these are hardened to the greatest extent possible."
The guidance provided by the NSA focuses on assessing the risk associated with the connectivity between IT and OT systems and steps recommended for improving the security of these connections.
For maximum cyber safety, ideally there should be no connections between enterprise networks and OT networks, but the agency admits that in some cases such connections are necessary.
The advisory released last week is not the first OT-focused resource that has been made public by the NSA. Last year, the NSA and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a joint alert urging critical infrastructure operators to take immediate measures to reduce the exposure of OT systems to cyberattacks.