Center for Internet Security developed the CIS Controls v8.1 for ICS—a specialized framework designed to help cybersecurity posture using practical, prioritized defensive measures
The CIS Controls for Industrial Control Systems (ICS) is a globally recognized cybersecurity framework developed by the Center for Internet Security. It provides a prioritized set of defensive actions specifically tailored for operational technology (OT) environments, guiding asset owners in securing critical infrastructure like manufacturing plants, power grids, water treatment facilities, and more. The v8.1 ICS edition maps these actions to the unique risks and constraints of ICS, including real-time system requirements, legacy components, and safety-critical operations.
ICS environments face increasingly frequent and sophisticated cyber threats—from ransomware that halts production to state-sponsored attacks targeting energy systems. The CIS Controls v8.1 provides a practical, tested roadmap for resilience, covering everything from asset inventory and configuration management to secure data flow and audit logging.
ConnexOne, our high-assurance, hardware-enforced unidirectional gateway, plays a pivotal role in achieving the goals laid out in the CIS Controls v8.1 ICS guide. While many safeguards rely on policies or software enforcement, ConnexOne offers physically enforced data integrity by ensuring that information flows only one way—from ICS to enterprise, never back. This unidirectional flow is vital in scenarios where confidentiality, system integrity, and availability are non-negotiable.
