2026-06-30 · nist
NIST released the final version of Special Publication 1800-45, focused on secure remote access for water and wastewater operational technology systems. The guidance highlights how internet-connected sensors, data collection, network devices, and analytics can increase cyber risk in critical infrastructure.
The NIST National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence published a practice guide showing secure remote access architectures and sample implementations for operational technology. The work was built with utilities, technology vendors, and industry experts using commercially available technologies.
Operational technology incidents can affect service delivery, monitoring integrity, and recovery confidence. If attackers corrupt telemetry, configurations, or remote-access credentials, operators may lose the trusted state needed to restore systems safely.
Cold storage protects golden configurations, recovery documentation, signed firmware, and critical records from being altered through remote access channels. Keeping verified recovery artifacts offline gives operators a clean baseline when connected systems are suspect.
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