Cyberattacks on OT systems jumped to 87% in 2024, and more than half of ransomware entered through vendor access points. Not through zero-days, but through legitimate-looking remote connections with no real controls behind them.
Evaluating secure remote access for OT and ICS environments means going beyond basic connectivity. Every layer has to work: asset isolation, zero trust architecture, MFA enforcement, session recording, and audit-ready logging that satisfies NERC CIP, TSA SD02E, and SOX requirements.
This checklist gives OT security teams a clear baseline to evaluate any remote access solution against the minimum controls your critical infrastructure depends on.