t cht lk catastrophic consequences – not just business disruption but national or international fallout.
t cht lk catastrophic consequences – not just business disruption but national or international fallout.
Also, OT environments are notoriously difficult to update. Many are still running on decades-old systems, like Windows XP because downtime could halt production. Yet, these legacy systems were never designed with cybersecurity in mind. They are vulnerable by default.
There also is a shortage of knowledge and capability regarding securing OT. It’ s a completely different discipline from IT security. You need tools designed for industrial protocols and people who understand engineering and cyber. That’ s a rare combination.
This is why Positive Technologies has been working in the OT space for over 10 years now. Especially with increasing geopolitical tensions, we ' ve seen that threat actors – particularly advanced persistent threat( APT) groups – aren’ t always financially motivated.
Ilya Leonov, Regional Director for Positive Technologies in the
MENA region
The threat landscape increases with every new technology layer – new vulnerabilities, attack surfaces and intrusion methods. While not unique to the region, the GCC has seen a sharp rise in adopting digital platforms, creating a need for stronger cybersecurity protocols.
In response, governments in the region – especially the UAE – are stepping in with progressive regulations and national cybersecurity frameworks. These are compliance checkboxes and well-structured, future-focused strategies to ensure resilience in an increasingly complex threat environment.
It is reactive and proactive – addressing today’ s vulnerabilities while building long-term national cyberdefences.
With OT attacks on the rise, what’ s needed to secure critical infrastructure better?
Their aim is disruption on a national level. Unfortunately, OT is a prime target for that kind of attack. Thus, the focus on OT security isn’ t just important – it’ s now essential.
However, the tide is turning. We’ re seeing more organisations invest in dedicated OT SOCs( Security Operations Centres), more awareness campaigns, and more vendors – like us – offering integrated solutions tailored to this space.
How can organisations stay ahead of AI-powered threats?
AI and Machine Learning have become indispensable in modern cybersecurity – not because they’ re buzzwords, but because they solve a real problem: data overload. The volume of logs, alerts, threat intelligence feeds and anomaly signals that security teams must analyse is staggering. No team of analysts, no matter how skilled, can manually process everything in real-time.
For years, Cybersecurity has focused almost exclusively on IT – corporate networks, endpoints, and software systems. OT, by comparison, was often treated as a black box: sensitive, legacy-bound, and not to be tampered with.
However, the nature of threat actors has evolved. We now see that OT environments – those responsible for energy grids, water utilities, manufacturing plants and transportation systems – have become primary targets. These systems control real-world processes and affect real lives. Any compromise can have
We are using AI to support our experts – not replace them. Our AI capabilities help sift through the noise, identify genuine threats, prioritise responses and offer recommended actions. It’ s about accelerating the response loop and giving security professionals time to focus on what matters.
That said, we must be cautious about overpromising what AI can do. It’ s a powerful tool, but it must be embedded wisely. It won’ t stop an attack on its own, but it can ensure that the right people see the right warning signs at the right time – and that can make all the difference.
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