Critical infrastructure security will stay poor until everyone pulls together

Interview Take a glance at the cybersecurity headlines of late, and you’ll see a familiar phrase that keeps cropping up: Critical infrastructure. 

The power lines, internet cables, water control systems, and other critical technology that keeps a country running are being prodded and attacked physically and digitally lately – and Claroty CEO Yaniv Vardi thinks it’s only likely to get worse.

“The trend is only going up,” Vardi told The Register in an interview you can watch below. Nearly three-quarters of companies involved in critical infrastructure experienced a ransomware attack last year, Vardi said his researchers say they’ve found. 

“And yes, the physical attacks on cables, like the ones in the Red Sea, are only growing [as well],” Vardi added. 

Defending critical infrastructure requires public and private sector cooperation, Vardi stressed. He added that governments need to pass stricter regulations that will hold lax software and hardware suppliers accountable. 

“The race to connectivity far outpaces the ability to secure it,” Vardi told us. ®