{"id":126095,"date":"2023-03-20T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-20T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/blog\/?p=126095"},"modified":"2023-05-30T11:28:06","modified_gmt":"2023-05-30T18:28:06","slug":"leverage-cloud-powered-security-with-microsoft-defender-for-iot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/blog\/2023\/03\/20\/leverage-cloud-powered-security-with-microsoft-defender-for-iot\/","title":{"rendered":"Leverage cloud-powered security with Microsoft Defender for IoT"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Traditionally, operational technology (OT) and IT have occupied separate sides of enterprise security. But with digital transformation and the advent of Industry 4.0, the old, siloed approach is showing its age.1<\/sup> The rise of manufacturing execution systems has enabled more \u201csmart factories\u201d to deliver improved manageability and data collection. While increased OT connectivity in energy production, utilities, transportation, and other critical industries help drive greater efficiency, it also creates new vulnerabilities. Roughly 41.6 billion devices are projected to be internet-facing by 2025, creating an enormous attack surface.2<\/sup> And unlike IT environments, a breach in OT can have potentially life-threatening consequences, as evidenced by the 2021 cyberattack against a Florida city\u2019s water supply.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is with great pleasure that we announce the general availability (GA) of the Microsoft Defender for IoT<\/strong><\/a> cloud-managed platform, which lets businesses interconnect their OT environment without compromising security. Powered by Microsoft\u2019s scalable, cost-effective cloud technology, Defender for IoT helps you manage assets, track emerging threats, and control risks across enterprise and mission-critical networks\u2014both in connected and air-gapped environments. In this blog, we\u2019ll look at today\u2019s connected OT environment, including the advantages of cloud-managed security and how a converged security operations center (SOC) can offer advantages over the traditional siloed approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why choose a cloud-powered solution for IoT and OT security?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The proliferation of connected devices\u2014everything from manufacturing systems, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), and building management systems (BMS) to heavy machinery for mining, drilling, and transportation\u2014means that OT security solutions require speed, accuracy, and context on a massive scale. In the December 2022 issue of our Cyber Signals<\/a> threat brief, Microsoft identified unpatched, high-severity vulnerabilities in 75 percent of the most common industrial controllers used in our customers\u2019 OT networks. Even using ordinary Internet of Things (IoT) devices like printers and routers, attackers can breach and move laterally through an IT system, installing malware and stealing sensitive intellectual property. Cloud-powered IoT and OT security solutions offer several advantages over traditional solutions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n