Why would hackers attack your infrastructure?

A hacker can have several goals that lead him to attack your company. There are hackers who are watching your company and may be able to access sensitive data. Data – personal or business – is valuable and can be sold.

In most cases, operational technology (OT) control systems allow a relatively easy entry point for hackers from your infrastructure, thus gaining entry into your IT infrastructure. There are examples of hackers accessing credentials and gaining remote access to corporate networks, allowing them to install malware on IT systems and extort data.

But it's not just the data that captures hackers' interest. As for Operational Technology, a breach in the cybersecurity chain gives hackers the possibility to wreak havoc by controlling your OT systems. Such a failure jeopardizes the security and reliability of your Infrastructure.

• 4 main objectives of computer attacks on Operational Technology: 
• Vision Manipulation/Control – Control manipulation is one of the most important objectives of a computer attack and can have serious consequences if commands and control are at risk and can be manipulated to avoid security checks, potentially leading to accidents. View manipulation is intended to hide activities or force an operator to take action that could result in interruptions to operations.
• Loss of Vision/Control- Loss of control is an important goal for someone trying to shut down their operations. It will prevent the operator from taking measures to ensure the safety of operations, putting lives at risk. Temporary or permanent loss of vision blocks alarms, warnings and any ongoing malicious activities.
• Establish remote access/extraction point- Establishing a connection to a control network is an objective that allows accessing and extracting data, as well as remotely controlling OT networks. Data extraction aims to extract data related to confidential processes or Intellectual Property, in order to have more information for the next steps of the attack.
• Malware/Ransomware – Malware in the OT network or in business IT systems through the control of weak OT is a very common situation and observed worldwide in several attacks. Ransomware encrypts files and then demands compensation as a way to restore access to computer data/assets. The greater the asset value, the greater the required compensation. TO systems are one of the most valuable assets of the Industries, being for this reason, one of the biggest targets for attacks.