Honeywell Report Exposes Gaping Hole in Industrial Cybersecurity Maturity

Honeywell Technologies' latest report on Operational Technology (OT) cybersecurity reveals a significant gap between how organizations perceive their security programs and their actual operational readiness. The survey of over 600 global industrial cybersecurity leaders found that 88% described their OT cybersecurity programs as mature, but only 21% reported having a complete inventory of their OT assets.

The report highlights the disconnect between perceived maturity and actual operational readiness in critical infrastructure sectors such as energy, oil and gas, healthcare, maritime, and manufacturing. Organizations experienced an average of 16.2 hours of downtime from their most significant cybersecurity incidents, resulting in losses of up to $500,000 per hour.

The survey also found that 99% of respondents expect AI to affect OT security within the next two to three years, while just 23% reported using autonomous or agentic operation for threat detection. The report emphasizes the need for organizations to extend cybersecurity across every connected system that supports uptime and business continuity.

Jim Masso, President and CEO of Honeywell Technologies Process Automation, said 'As cyber threats increasingly impact physical operations, resilience depends on extending cybersecurity across every connected system that supports uptime and business continuity.'

The report's findings suggest that organizations with stronger visibility are four times better positioned to identify threats, respond to incidents, and restore operations quicker. The survey highlights the need for organizations to prioritize OT security and invest in technologies that provide real-time monitoring and threat detection.