In July 2021, the White House launched a voluntary initiative aimed at strengthening cybersecurity for industrial control systems (ICS). Designed to foster collaboration between critical infrastructure sectors and the federal government, the initiative encourages the deployment of technologies that provide visibility, threat detection, and early warning capabilities. As the memo stated, “we cannot address threats we cannot see,” underscoring the need for monitoring systems that can detect malicious activity and support timely response. Visibility into all digital and physical assets is foundational to any effective cybersecurity strategy—especially for critical infrastructure, where the stakes are high. Identifying and mapping these assets is the first step in reducing risk. Both NIST and NERC emphasize asset visibility as a core requirement for compliance.
The Many Aspects of Visibility
Visibility means understanding your environment — knowing what assets you have, who is accessing them, and what activity is occurring. According to NIST, asset identification is the foundational step in achieving visibility. You can't protect what you don't know exists. This includes not just hardware and systems, but also users and their interactions with critical resources.
Improving visibility involves collecting data from across networks and systems, then analyzing it to extract meaningful insights, cutting through noise to focus on what matters. The depth of visibility varies by organization and is directly tied to the accuracy of asset inventories. Without a complete inventory, visibility efforts lose effectiveness.
This applies to software as well. On average, a software product contains 135 components — 90% of which are open source—each potentially introducing vulnerabilities. Tools like a software bill of materials (SBOM) help organizations track and manage these risks.
Strong visibility is not just the best practice; it’s essential for cybersecurity compliance and situational awareness. Without it, organizations struggle to assess risk, detect threats, or apply the right controls to meet evolving regulations.
The Foundational Components of Visibility
Considering the above, we can conclude that there are three crucial components in a visibility program, which are closely interdependent:
- Asset visibility: Provides the framework around which vulnerability management and threat visibility can be conducted. Without understanding which assets are deployed within an environment, and what is installed on those assets, it can be nearly impossible to know where to look for flaws, let alone active threats.
- Threat intelligence: Offers valuable data to help vulnerability management programs prioritize remediation efforts based on the likelihood and impact of an exploit.
- Vulnerability management: Provides insights into flaws in the industrial environment, which can be used to prioritize threat mitigation.
Integrating all three components enables true end-to-end visibility, which is critical for effective and efficient incident response. It allows organizations to track infrastructure changes, analyze threat activity, and maintain forensic records, streamlining both response and recovery efforts.
How to Choose the Best Solution for Industrial Visibility
While asset visibility, threat intelligence, and vulnerability management are key pillars of cybersecurity in IT environments, industrial settings present a distinct set of challenges. The stakes go beyond data protection, extending to physical safety and the uninterrupted operation of critical infrastructure like power grids, water systems, pipelines, and manufacturing plants. Unlike IT, where confidentiality, integrity, and availability are the primary concerns, industrial cybersecurity must prioritize operational stability and safety. Achieving visibility in these environments requires purpose-built technologies and processes that deliver actionable insights without disrupting core industrial functions.
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