What happened
Google’s Cybersecurity Forecast 2026 has sounded the alarm on the growing convergence of cybercrime and nation-state operations targeting industrial control systems (ICS) and operational technology (OT). The report highlights a sharp increase in both the frequency and sophistication of attacks against critical infrastructure worldwide.
Who is affected
Organizations in manufacturing, energy, utilities, and transportation are identified as primary targets. These sectors face the highest risk due to their reliance on connected systems and legacy OT infrastructure, which are often less protected than traditional IT environments.
Why CISOs should care
The forecast underscores a fundamental shift in the threat landscape where ICS and OT environments are no longer niche targets but key attack surfaces in geopolitical and financial cyber operations. A breach in these systems can lead to physical damage, production shutdowns, and cascading economic impacts. For CISOs, it signals the urgent need to close the security gap between IT and OT networks before threat actors exploit it further.
3 practical actions
- Map and monitor all ICS and OT assets to gain visibility into vulnerabilities and third-party dependencies.
- Enforce strict segmentation between IT and OT environments to minimize lateral attack movement.
- Enhance threat intelligence partnerships focusing on industrial sectors to anticipate and counter emerging threats.