A new analysis from Forescout paints a stark picture of operational technology security: only 13% of OT network segments are fully isolated. The research indicates that the overwhelming majority of OT environments are not completely separated from the rest of the enterprise network.
According to the findings, OT and medical devices often share network segments with other enterprise assets. This mixing of device types within the same segment means that a compromise of an IT asset could potentially expose critical operational systems to lateral movement.
The report underscores that while segmentation is a fundamental security control, true isolation remains rare in practice. For organizations running industrial or healthcare operations, the findings suggest that assuming network separation is risky, and verifying actual segment boundaries is essential.