Industrial Cyber Incidents Surge As SANS Finds Recovery Gaps
More than a third of industrial organisations (34%) experienced a cyber incident affecting their operational technology (OT) environments in the past year, with 72% of reported incidents causing facility or system downtime, according to new research from the SANS Institute.
These were some of the findings of the 2026 State of ICS/OT Security Survey, which gathered responses from 696 industrial security professionals.
The proportion reporting an incident rose from 21.5% in 2025 to 34% in 2026, an increase of approximately 58% and the largest single-year rise in the survey’s history.
The consequences are becoming more serious, too. Reported safety impacts nearly doubled to 13% in 2026, and incidents involving intellectual property theft increased from 6% to 31%.
Financial losses, including lost revenue and ransom payments, affected 34% of respondents who experienced incidents.
Ransomware remained a leading threat, cited by 31% of respondents who reported incidents.
However, compromise of shared IT/OT...
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