In the industrial sector, continuity is paramount. Machines, processes, and people must be coordinated 24/7. Downtime? That is not an option! At the same time, modern factories are no longer isolated environments. Production lines are connected to IT systems, suppliers monitor remotely, and data flows throughout the entire chain.

Digitization brings opportunities, but it also increases the attack surface. Cyber risks are no longer limited to office environments, but are increasingly affecting operations directly. In OT environments in particular, this development is converging at the point where continuity is most critical: the production floor. In this blog, Stefan van Leeuwen, Technical Consultant at Valid, lists the most important cyber risks for industrial environments in 2026.

Why OT systems are particularly vulnerable

OT systems combine several complex characteristics: they are business-critical, difficult to change, and often have been in use for many years. Whereas IT systems are regularly updated or replaced, in industrial environments every change must first be extensively tested to prevent production downtime. As a result, many systems are forced to continue running on older software and hardware.

Vulnerability is further increased by the link between IT and OT. Whereas production systems used to be largely isolated, they are now connected to office networks, data platforms, and external parties. In addition, remote access is increasingly necessary for maintenance and support by suppliers.

Security in industrial environments is therefore always a balancing act. Sometimes security has to move with the business, sometimes the business has to accept that additional measures are necessary. Without mutual understanding, things come to a standstill (literally or figuratively).

The five most significant cyber risks for the industry

This structural vulnerability translates into a number of recurring cyber risks that are visible in virtually every industrial environment.

1. People remain the primary point of access
   Most attacks do not start with technology, but with people. Phishing emails or social engineering via email, telephone, or even voice cloning are becoming increasingly convincing. Especially in production environments, where employees are primarily focused on keeping processes running, security is not always top of mind. Awareness therefore remains essential. And not in the form of a one-off training course, but as an ongoing part of the organizational culture. Because one click can be enough to set off a chain of problems.
2. Outdated OT systems that can no longer be patched
   Many production systems have been running for ten to fifteen years. That makes sense: machines are certified, reliable, and often cannot simply be replaced. But software suppliers are providing less and less support for these systems. Security updates are not being released, while vulnerabilities are becoming public knowledge. The risk is clear: abuse is possible, but patching is not. In these situations, the focus is on risk mitigation. Segmentation, shielding, and strict access control are often the only realistic measures to limit potential damage.
3. OT applications where functionality takes precedence over security
   Many industrial applications are designed with one goal in mind: to keep production running. Historically, security has been an afterthought. And although suppliers are taking steps to improve this, security in many OT software programs still lags behind IT standards. In practice, this means that additional security measures are needed, such as monitoring, exclusions, and customized policies. This includes pretesting security measures, explicitly allowing necessary machine processes, and continuously monitoring what is happening on systems without disrupting production. This requires customization and a good understanding of both the technology and the impact on production.
4. IoT devices as invisible vulnerabilities
   Industrial environments increasingly contain IoT components: sensors, measuring equipment, and smart devices that are essential to the process. But every connected device is also a potential point of attack. Not all IoT devices are actively managed or monitored. Segmentation and continuous monitoring are therefore important for detecting abnormal behavior in time and intervening before it affects operations.
5. Remote access and supplier connections
   Suppliers increasingly need remote access for maintenance and support. This is efficient, but it does involve risks. General accounts, unnecessarily broad access rights, or insufficient insight into who has access and when increase the risk of abuse. Secure remote access requires strict agreements: individual accounts, limited rights, logging, and supervision. Not everything needs to be "closed," but everything must be transparent.

Gaining control without disrupting the operation

Managing these risks requires more than just isolated security measures. In industrial environments, an MSP truly acts as an extension of the operation. That means first understanding what is happening on the production floor, and only then taking action.

At Valid, the focus is therefore on ownership of the entire IT and OT landscape. By structurally scanning environments, providing insight into what is actually running, and prioritizing risks together with IT, OT, and the business, room is created for controlled improvement. Changes are first tested, often in audit mode, so that the impact on production is clear before anything goes live.

This way, security does not become an obstacle, but a prerequisite for continuity. It is not an all-or-nothing approach, but a step-by-step process of stabilizing, optimizing, and future-proofing, without disrupting operations. And that is an ongoing process.

From risk to control

Cybersecurity in industrial environments in 2026 will therefore not be about eliminating risks, but about making them manageable. Human actions, outdated OT systems, vulnerable applications, IoT components, and supplier connections are closely interrelated and together determine the vulnerability of the operation.