Honeywell Report Exposes OT Security Gaps Across Sectors

New data from Honeywell Technologies reveals a significant disconnect between organizations' perception of cybersecurity maturity and their actual operational readiness. In its '2026 OT Security Benchmark Report,' 88% described their OT cybersecurity programs as mature, yet only 21% reported maintaining a complete inventory of their OT assets.

The report highlights critical vulnerabilities in industrial cybersecurity readiness across sectors. Energy and utilities respondents reported experiencing significant OT cybersecurity incidents at a rate of 91%, with 87% of maritime respondents experiencing similar incidents. Among oil and gas organizations affected by incidents, 28% reported effects spanning multiple regions.

'As cyber threats increasingly impact physical operations, resilience depends on extending cybersecurity across every connected system that supports uptime and business continuity,' said Jim Masso, president and CEO of Honeywell Technologies Process Automation. Paul Smith, global portfolio director for cybersecurity at Honeywell, noted 'a noteworthy gap between how organizations perceive their cybersecurity resilience and their actual capabilities.'

The report emphasizes the importance of operational preparedness in critical infrastructure sectors, highlighting the severe financial and operational consequences of incidents. Among incident-affected respondents, 21% estimated downtime costs exceeding $100,000 per hour, with 4% reporting costs above $500,000 per hour.