Ethical Hacking Essentials Practice Test

Which countermeasure aids in defending industrial devices against OT attacks?

1. Using strong passwords

2. Implementing incident response and business continuity plans

3. Regular staff training

4. Periodic system upgrades

The correct answer is: Implementing incident response and business continuity plans

Implementing incident response and business continuity plans is crucial in defending industrial devices against Operational Technology (OT) attacks because these plans ensure that organizations are prepared to respond effectively to security breaches and operational disruptions. In the context of OT environments, where uptime and reliability are essential, having a well-defined incident response plan enables organizations to quickly detect, respond to, and recover from incidents, minimizing potential damage and ensuring continuity of operations. These plans encompass procedures for identifying incidents, securing the affected systems, restoring services, and communicating with stakeholders, which are all essential for mitigating the impact of attacks on industrial devices. While using strong passwords, regular staff training, and periodic system upgrades are important cybersecurity practices, they do not comprehensively address the need for organized and pre-planned responses to specific threats and incidents, which is the primary focus of incident response and business continuity planning. The distinction lies in the proactive nature of being prepared for incidents rather than solely trying to prevent them.