Securing the Physical World: Threat Exposure Management for Smart Infrastructure
Smart infrastructure brings efficiency but also exposes legacy controls to new cyber threats. CTEM provides the visibility and prioritisation needed to protect critical infrastructure.
The integration of physical and digital systems powers existing infrastructure – and the infrastructure of the future. Smart grids enhance energy distribution, factories use IoT for predictive maintenance, and smart cities manage utilities with real-time data. These existing capabilities are stepping stones to fully automated megaprojects like the implementation of a self-contained, fully automated humanless national mine.
Instead of reducing risk, these layered technologies, ranging from IOT sensors to autonomous control sensors, increase the attack surface and create new opportunities for exploitation. Instead of reducing risk, these layered technologies ranging from IOT sensors to autonomous control sensors increase the attack surface and create new opportunities for exploitation. Furthermore, the critical importance of these sectors makes these projects prime targets for nation-state actors seeking to disrupt economic stability or strategic supply chains.
This is not a far-flung conspiracy theory but a recent reality. For example, in 2022, Industroyer2 specifically targeted industrial control systems (ICS) that manage critical infrastructure in Ukraine's energy sector, exploiting both legacy vulnerabilities and the intricate dependencies between digital and physical operations. Despite being highly automated, the energy grid's layered architecture offered multiple points of attack. The malware was designed to interact directly with grid control protocols, allowing attackers to manipulate switches and circuit breakers to trigger widespread blackouts. This demonstrated how even advanced, automated systems, when not properly secured, can be weaponised to cause large-scale physical disruption with relatively minimal effort.
Source: Energy Provider in Ukraine Targeted With Industroyer2 ICS Malware, SecurityWeek, April 2022
These advancements in operational technology (OT) systems and their increasing connection to IT networks and cloud services make once isolated critical infrastructure exposed to sophisticated and newly evolving cyber threats. The ability to embed best practice cybersecurity practices into every layer will support the full realisation of the benefits of these systems in a sustainable way with minimal disruption to operations thereby saving money and, in some cases, human lives.
The Unique Challenge of Scaling Smart Systems Safely
OT systems, the backbone of critical infrastructure, were built for long lifespans, safety and reliability – not for alignment with cybersecurity best practices. Many of the protocols they rely on, such as Modbus and DNP3, were developed decades ago in an era when physical isolation ("air-gapping") was assumed to be sufficient protection. As a result, these critical systems often lack basic security features like encryption, authentication, or even logging.
Exposure visibility means mapping the complete attack surface—across IT, OT, IoT, and cloud environments—and prioritizing critical assets like SCADA systems over less vital sensors. Tools that generate detailed inventories help organizations flag unpatched systems or misconfigurations, aiding compliance with regulations like NIS2 that require strong asset management.
This poses a challenge unique to the built environment as these systems have expected lifespans of decades. They cannot be replaced as quickly as traditional IT hardware. The process is often risky, disruptive and costly, which makes it no surprise that some components in use may predate modern internet. This slow turnover creates the environment for persistent vulnerabilities that are difficult to remediate.
Adding to this vulnerable base is the overlaying of new technologies (like cloud platforms or remote monitoring tools) onto these ageing systems. This interaction between the old and new systems creates complex and unpredictable attack surfaces which adversaries can exploit.
Together, these factors create a uniquely challenging environment within which to scale these systems in a safe, sustainable way.
Exposure Visibility: The Foundation of Smart Infrastructure Resilience
Effective cybersecurity begins with comprehensive visibility into assets and vulnerabilities. Without understanding what is connected and where weaknesses exist, organisations cannot manage risks effectively or meet compliance requirements.
Exposure visibility means mapping the complete attack surface (across IT, OT, IIoT, and cloud environments) and prioritising critical assets like SCADA systems over less vital sensors. Tools that generate detailed inventories help organisations flag unpatched systems or misconfigurations, aiding compliance with regulations like NIS2 that require strong asset management.
By prioritising vulnerabilities in high-risk components, such as a factory's programmable logic controller (PLC), organisations can optimise limited security resources. For example, a smart city can focus on securing emergency alert systems to limit disruptions during cyberattacks while maintaining operational efficiency.
Infrastructure leaders should consider these key strategies:
- Implement comprehensive asset mapping across IT, OT, and IoT environments to enable targeted risk management
- Deploy compensating controls to protect unpatched legacy OT devices through network segmentation and monitoring
- Foster collaboration between IT and OT teams to balance up-time requirements with security needs
Continuous Threat Exposure Management: Integrating Protection Across Environments
Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) provides a structured approach to securing smart infrastructure, particularly when it comes to enhancing visibility into complex operational technology systems.
Unlike traditional vulnerability management, CTEM unifies IT, OT, IoT, and cloud defence strategies into a cohesive framework. These tools often focus solely on IT assets and are too aggressive for sensitive OT systems, where active scanning can disrupt operations or even cause outages. CTEM adapts to these realities by emphasising passive discovery, risk-based prioritisation, and safe validation techniques.
The CTEM process follows five iterative stages:
- First, scoping identifies critical assets, like a smart grid's control systems.
- Discovery maps the attack surface, uncovering vulnerabilities and misconfigurations.
- Prioritisation focuses on high-impact risks based on exploitability and business consequences.
- Validation uses Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) to test defences safely.
- Finally, mobilisation streamlines remediation, coordinating IT and OT teams to implement solutions like network segmentation.
External Attack Surface Management (EASM) monitors cloud exposures, while BAS simulates attacks without disrupting operations. A utility provider, for instance, can use CTEM to map its smart grid, prioritise SCADA vulnerabilities, and deploy virtual patching—reducing downtime, ensuring compliance, and supporting cost efficiency.
By adopting CTEM, infrastructure operators can systematically reduce downtime, avoid costly regulatory penalties, improve public trust, and proactively mitigate the financial and reputational risks associated with cyber-physical disruptions. CTEM directly addresses common pain points, such as lack of real-time visibility into legacy OT vulnerabilities, fragmentation between IT and OT security practices, and the overwhelming challenge of prioritising thousands of potential exposures.
Take Your First Step Toward CTEM with Snode’s Free OSINT Threat Exposure Assessment:
Snode’s OSINT Threat Exposure Assessment is passive evaluation performed entirely from an external, attacker’s perspective. Without accessing your environment, we can give you clear visibility into risks across your External IT, OT, and IoT landscapes.
Snode’s OTEM assessment delivers a specialized variation of a point-in-time OSINT evaluation, designed to identify vulnerabilities and provide actionable insights tailored to protecting critical infrastructure. It offers clear risk visibility across IT, OT, and IoT environments, prioritizes remediation efforts based on threat impact.
This assessment delivers a focused, point-in-time snapshot designed to uncover vulnerabilities and areas where your externally facing assets are exposed. We also provide you with actionable insights so that you can protect critical infrastructure. This catalogue of your exposure and the supplied prioritisation of remedial activities based on threat impact, helps you better understand and address your threat exposure.
Leverage Snode’s OSINT Threat Exposure Management (OTEM) assessment today for a strategic view of your external threat landscape and take the first step toward a stronger, more resilient security posture.