The Real Time Threat Intel Imperative for OT Systems

OT Operators Can't Count on Isolation to Protect Network Prajeet Nair (@prajeetspeaks) • April 9, 2025

Diminishing supplies tapped by lines of waiting cars at filling stations across the American Southeast in May 2021 were a wakeup call for critical infrastructure operators. The lines accumulated because Colonial Pipeline, operator of the largest pipeline system in the United States, stopped the flow of gas.

Extending 5,500 miles from Texan refineries in Houston to New Jersey distributors at Manhattan's doorstep, the pipeline was dry. Its operators turned it off after the DarkSide ransomware operation took company systems hostage, demanding a $4.4 million ransom payment. The company eventually paid.

See Also: Financial & Banking Services: Cybersecurity Trends from Expel’s 2025 Annual Threat Report

Hackers penetrated Colonial Pipeline after finding an obsolete VPN account not protected by multifactor authentication that connected to the entire corporate network. They didn ...