Research says CISOs confident about Cybersecurity Posture, but Security Engineers remain Concerned - Cybersecurity Insiders
A growing disconnect has emerged between cybersecurity leaders and engineers regarding protection of Operational Technology environments, according to new SANS Institute research.
The 2026 ICS/OT Cybersecurity Survey from the SANS Institute highlights a concerning gap in perception between Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and security engineers. While senior leaders express confidence in their organizations' ability to withstand cyberattacks, professionals managing critical infrastructure systems have significant reservations about preparedness.
The survey, which gathered responses from 696 participants, found that approximately 62% of CISOs believe their companies could continue operating through manual controls even if IT infrastructure were compromised. This confidence reflects growing recognition of operational resilience importance during cybersecurity incidents.
Engineers' Concerns
Security engineers directly responsible for protecting industrial control systems, including SCADA and DCS, express less optimistic views about their firms' defensive capabilities. Nearly 15% of respondents were uncertain whether their critical infrastructure could withstand a cyberattack, with potential consequences including production interruptions, supply chain disruptions, equipment damage, and safety risks.
The growing threat landscape reinforces these concerns, with 34% of respondents reporting their OT environments were targeted by cyberattacks in the preceding 12 months—a 1.7-fold increase from 2025. Over 72% of affected organizations acknowledged operational downtime or disruptions resulting from these incidents.
Real-World Impact
The cyberattack on Jaguar Land Rover demonstrates how such incidents can directly affect manufacturing capabilities, employees, suppliers, and the broader business ecosystem. For manufacturing businesses and critical infrastructure operators, even temporary interruptions can lead to substantial financial losses, delayed deliveries, and reduced productivity.
Businesses must look beyond high-level assessments of their security posture and pay closer attention to the practical challenges faced by operational security teams.
Bridging the Gap
To address the confidence gap, organizations must implement regular security assessments, realistic incident-response exercises, stronger IT-OT security integration, and tested manual fallback procedures. CISOs and business leaders must ensure their confidence in cybersecurity preparedness is supported by technical realities rather than assumed resilience.
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