Cybersecurity changes when software begins controlling the physical world.
Operational Technology—OT—includes the systems used to monitor and control industrial processes, energy systems, water facilities, medical infrastructure, and other physical operations.
In IT, shutting down a compromised service may be inconvenient.
In OT, stopping a process at the wrong moment can create a physical hazard.
A safety system may operate exactly as designed and still leave machinery, pressure, heat, chemicals, or hazardous material in a condition that requires further management.
“Stopped” and “safe” are not always the same thing.
This section examines Operational Technology, legacy systems, interlocks, fail-safe design, physical process safety, and high-hazard environments such as hot cells used for handling highly radioactive materials.