Industrial cybersecurity: key to operational continuity for European companies

Digital transformation in industry continues to advance at high speed. The automation of processes, the connectivity of industrial assets and the convergence between IT and OT environments have enabled organisations to improve efficiency and competitiveness, but they have also significantly increased their exposure to cyber threats.

The rise of cyber threats against industrial systems in Europe

This is highlighted in the report “Threat Landscape for Industrial Automation Systems. Europe, Q4 2025”, produced by Kaspersky ICS CERT, which analyses the evolution of threats targeting industrial automation systems in Europe during the last quarter of 2025.

The study reveals that industrial infrastructures remain one of the main targets for cybercriminals, who use increasingly sophisticated techniques to gain access to corporate networks and critical operational systems. Among the most prominent threats are:

• targeted phishing campaigns,
• credential theft,
• malware distribution via malicious documents,
• spyware and ransomware aimed at disrupting industrial operations.

According to the report, industrial sectors, engineering companies, technology integrators and organisations linked to critical infrastructure are among the environments with the highest level of exposure, a trend that reflects the growing interest of attackers in organisations managing processes essential to the economy and security.

In Southern Europe, the region recorded during the fourth quarter of 2025 one of the highest levels of malicious activity detected against industrial systems connected to the internet, a reality that confirms the need to strengthen protection strategies for industrial organisations and essential services.

IT/OT convergence expands industrial security challenges

One of the most relevant aspects highlighted by the report is the impact of the integration of corporate and operational systems. The need to access real-time information, perform remote maintenance or connect industrial assets to management platforms has created new scenarios that require specific protection models.

The current reality shows that it is no longer sufficient to protect only corporate technological infrastructure. Industrial systems are part of the core operation of organisations, and any incident can have direct consequences on production, service availability or even the physical safety of facilities and people.

In this context, industrial cybersecurity has moved from being a preventive measure to becoming a strategic element for ensuring operational continuity and business resilience.

The importance of specialised protection for industrial environments

The complexity of OT environments requires solutions capable of understanding how industrial systems operate, detecting anomalous behaviour and responding early to potential incidents.

For organisations operating in sectors such as defence, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, energy or critical infrastructure, having specific monitoring, detection and response capabilities has become an operational necessity.

“The threats affecting industrial environments are no longer hypothetical scenarios. They are a daily reality that is constantly evolving and that forces organisations to adopt a holistic view of cybersecurity,” explains Juan Carlos Chamizo Aragón, Director of the Cybersecurity Unit at ITE.

“OT systems manage critical business processes and require specific protection strategies. The key is not only prevention, but also having the ability for early detection, analysis and response to any incident that could compromise operations,” he adds.

Juan Carlos Chamizo Aragón, Director of the Cybersecurity Unit at ITE

SocITE360: an integrated response for IT and OT protection

Against this backdrop, ITE has developed SocITE360, an advanced cybersecurity service designed to provide continuous monitoring of technological and industrial infrastructures through capabilities such as:

• continuous monitoring,
• event correlation,
• threat detection and
• incident response.

The solution enables unified monitoring of IT and OT environments from an integrated perspective, providing organisations with a complete view of their security posture and facilitating early identification of risks that could affect operational continuity.

“The increase in attacks targeting industrial environments shows that organisations need much more than isolated protection tools. It is essential to have a permanent capability for monitoring, analysis and response that allows action before a threat becomes an operational disruption,” says Chamizo.

“SocITE360 has been developed precisely to address that need. Our mission is to help organisations anticipate threats, protect their critical assets and strengthen their resilience in an environment where cybersecurity is already inseparable from industrial activity,” he adds.

Security as an enabler of industrial digital transformation

Growing industrial digitalisation, together with the increase in risks associated with the connectivity of operational systems, suggests that cybersecurity will continue to be one of the main technological challenges for European industry in the coming years.

Reports such as the one published by Kaspersky ICS CERT reinforce the need for organisations to adopt advanced protection models capable of ensuring the security of their operations in an increasingly connected and demanding environment.

For Juan Carlos Chamizo Aragón, the key lies in integrating security into the technological transformation strategy of organisations.

“Industrial digitalisation will continue to advance because it is necessary for organisational competitiveness. The challenge is ensuring that this technological evolution is accompanied by cybersecurity strategies capable of protecting critical processes from the outset. Security is no longer an add-on to digital transformation; it is an essential condition for it to be sustainable.”

Further information on industrial cybersecurity

The protection of IT and OT environments has become a key element in ensuring the operational continuity of industrial organisations. In the face of an increasingly sophisticated threat landscape, having specialised monitoring, detection and response capabilities is essential to reduce risks and strengthen the resilience of critical infrastructures.

Through SocITE360, ITE provides advanced cybersecurity services aimed at the comprehensive protection of corporate and industrial environments, adapting to the specific needs of sectors such as industry, defence, aeronautics, energy and critical infrastructure.

Professionals interested in learning more about ITE’s cybersecurity capabilities can consult the information available at Cybersecurity Unit page.

For further information or to request specialist advice, they can contact the ITE expert team via the email address nextrading@ite-es.com

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