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Why OT Security Requires a Different Approach Than IT

Forescout
04/14/2026
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fresh water, or the hospital you go to for a checkup is run on equipment that you can't even install antivirus on? It could be a camera, an MRI machine, or a system of actuators, sensors, and valves connected to an ancient computer that monitors how much bacteria there is in the water supply and how to clean it for our consumption. Our modern world is powered by this type of highly specialized equipment. These devices, once deployed, are not often updated, and as a result, many of them have vulnerabilities or fragile, sensitive network stacks. Forescout research for Dairy Labs has shown that these vulnerabilities can be exploited, and the only way to secure them is to understand where they are and partition or segment them on your network so that it only talks to known, good, necessary services. At Forescout, we passively find these and tell you what these devices are and what they're talking to. We selectively probe some of these with safe, active inspections, and this will tell us what these devices are and where they're connected to, and what they're communicating with, so that we can better identify the risks associated with these endpoints and detect any network-based threats. Whether the device is a sensor or an actuator at Purdue level zero, or it's controlling a workstation, Forescout can give you visibility into the entire OT stack and the relationship between these devices. See it, secure it, assure it.

TL;DR

  • Critical infrastructure like utilities and hospitals runs on specialized OT equipment that cannot support traditional security tools like antivirus software.
  • Many OT devices have known vulnerabilities and fragile network stacks because they are rarely updated after deployment.
  • Forescout uses passive discovery combined with safe active probing to identify OT devices and map their communication patterns across the network.

Summary

This explainer video addresses the unique security challenges facing operational technology environments in critical infrastructure. Forescout highlights that essential services like power utilities, water treatment facilities, and healthcare systems rely on specialized equipment that cannot accommodate traditional security tools such as antivirus software. These devices—ranging from MRI machines to industrial sensors and actuators—often run on legacy systems with known vulnerabilities and fragile network stacks. The video explains Forescout's approach to OT security, which combines passive discovery to identify devices and their communication patterns with selective active probing for deeper inspection. This methodology enables organizations to understand their complete OT asset inventory, map device relationships across the Purdue model from level zero sensors through control workstations, and implement network segmentation to isolate vulnerable devices from unnecessary services. The core message emphasizes that visibility across the entire OT stack is the foundation for effective security in environments where traditional endpoint protection simply cannot be deployed.

Chapters

0:00 - The OT Security Challenge
0:25 - Vulnerabilities in Critical Infrastructure
0:49 - Forescout's Discovery Approach
1:10 - Full OT Stack Visibility

Key Quotes

0:00 "Did you know the electricity that powers your home, or the water company that brings you fresh water, or the hospital you go to for a checkup is run on equipment that you can't even install antivirus on? ..."
0:40 "The only way to secure them is to understand where they are and partition or segment them on your network so that it only talks to known, good, necessary services."
1:22 "See it, secure it, assure it."

Categories:
  • » Webinar Library » Forescout
  • » Cybersecurity » Network Security
  • » Data Protection
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Tags:
  • OT
  • IoT Security
  • Network Security
  • Getting Started
  • OT security
  • critical infrastructure protection
  • network segmentation
  • asset discovery
  • industrial control systems
  • Purdue model
  • vulnerability management
  • passive network monitoring
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