The World Economic Forum’s 2023 paper on industrial cybersecurity stresses that as IT and OT converge, vulnerabilities multiply—cyber incidents in OT rose 140% between 2020 and 2021, with manufacturing bearing 61% of attacks. Legacy systems, poor segmentation, and weak vendor practices leave critical infrastructure exposed, raising risks of economic loss, safety hazards, and national security threats. To counter this, WEF sets five principles: comprehensive OT risk management, shared responsibility among engineers and operators, security-by-design aligned with leadership, enforceable standards for vendors, and regular joint tabletop exercises. These steps aim to embed resilience, protect critical operations, and sustain business continuity.

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